“It’s simply so dang laborious,” says Bryon Powell within the first jiffy of the movie, “The Joyes of Hardrock.” One may say that this thought, expressed by the four-time Hardrock 100 finisher and iRunFar founder, is the proper summation of the occasion, which takes place within the rugged San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
This new movie follows Gabe Joyes on his second try on the loop, capturing not a hero’s story of reaching lofty targets, however of what occurs when issues don’t go as deliberate, however you retain going anyway. It’s additionally a quintessential documentary for anybody looking for significant, course-specific perception. If you’re one of many fortunate few whose title is chosen within the Hardrock 100 lottery and want to collect as a lot course information as doable, this movie is a must-watch. For the remainder who’re Hardrock hopefuls, it should make you cross your fingers even tighter for a future probability at this iconic 100-mile mountain run.
[Editor’s Note: Click here to watch the film on YouTube.]
Gabe — an expert ultrarunner from Wyoming, coach, and writer of iRunFar’s Ask a Professional column — has had a Hardrock qualifier yearly for the previous 13 years. He had his first go on the race in 2017, inserting fourth, and he returns eight years later with much more expertise and information. All through the movie, he humbly shares his expertise throughout his second probability on the occasion. Spoiler alert: Issues don’t go fairly as hoped.
Gabe Joyes on the end of the 2025 Hardrock 100. All pictures are screenshots from the movie “The Joyes of Hardrock” except in any other case famous.
After getting into the lottery for a single race for almost a decade and a half, it’s straightforward to think about how a lot your life would possibly change from the day you first utilized to while you really run the race. Gabe returns this yr along with his spouse, Jenny Joyes, and their two younger daughters and Australian Shepherd pet, hoping to recapture the magic of his 2017 end. With elite athlete and shut pal Luke Nelson, who completed Hardrock in 2022, becoming a member of the hassle, in addition to his coach, Chantelle Robitaille, Joyes’ crew is full.
The standout high quality of this movie is that Gabe is so relatable. He’s a dad, husband, and coach, along with being an expert runner, and he’s navigating the identical balancing act that almost all of us face every day. He’s very human when he says, “Seeing Handies Peak from the trailhead and looking out up, and the considered, ‘I’m going to go up there with my very own two ft?’ It seems impossibly far and impossibly excessive up.” It’s refreshing to know that somebody with Gabe’s pedigree has these daunting ideas as effectively. Gabe balances the identical doubts and calculations that come up for any of us when trying 1000’s of ft up on the mountains on the course.
Gabe in full stride on one of many many descents.
For any aspiring Hardrocker, the chronological nature of this movie makes it excellent for course recon homework. We observe Gabe up and down every climb chronologically, seeing the challenges and errors as they occur alongside the best way. What endears us to Gabe is the best way he takes these challenges in stride.
Nelson refers to Ouray, the city and support station roughly midway by the loop, as a “cruxy time.” It’s the excellent description as we watch Gabe arrive, simply “hanging on,” battling the warmth and consuming. It’s a stark distinction to listening to him describe his 2017 expertise within the city as one of the crucial particular moments of the occasion. Though the bottom elevation a part of the course, the cumulative results of what got here earlier than and what lies forward appear to manifest themselves right here, however we see his crew rally behind him and ensure he has all the things he wants for the second half, together with choosing up Nelson as a pacer. Leaving Ouray too swiftly could make the lengthy climb towards Telluride grow to be a gradual grind for even probably the most seasoned, ready, and gritty of athletes, and it’s clear that Gabe is struggling as he walks away from the help station and his household.
Gabe and his crew (left to proper). Chantelle Robitaille, Jenny Joyes, and Luke Nelson, earlier than heading again out into the night time. Picture: Niko Carste
Typically, we enter a race with a set of targets in thoughts. Few races honor these targets lower than Hardrock. We see Gabe settle for this towards the top of the movie when he and Jenny crest the highest of Grant-Swamp Move to the deal with of a stunning and crisp mountain dawn. “Screw occasions and placements,” Gabe exclaims and begins his descent towards the KT support station. It echoes a sentiment expressed by Jenny earlier within the movie when she factors out that the occasion is known as a run, not a race, for a cause.
Gabe and Jenny on prime of Grant-Swamp Move at dawn.
Within the movie’s closing moments, Nelson displays on Gabe’s preliminary time objective, which he missed by a major margin: “It’s so uncommon that each one these issues come collectively and that these targets are met. However it’s far more particular when these issues go sideways, and you continue to determine it out.” That sentiment captures precisely why Hardrock is so particular and why this movie’s unflinching, sincere portrayal of Gabe’s 2025 journey is important viewing.
Name for Feedback
What did you consider the movie? Did it make you wish to go play within the San Juans?
How have you ever dealt with eventualities the place issues haven’t gone as deliberate?
Workforce Gabe (left to proper): Luke Nelson, Jenny Joyes, and Chantelle Robitaille
