Fans of ultra running know one place to go to follow all of the sport’s top athletes – iRunFar.com.
The crew of iRunFar, led by runner-in-chief Bryon Powell, follows the world’s best trail runners all over the globe, providing real-time updates and information on races many fans in the United States would never have access to otherwise.
The team is made up of current and former runners who know the sport inside-out, and Powell’s team works tirelessly to provide coverage of the biggest races, including the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run that starts and finishes in Silverton.
“Literally, around the world we have 25 people working on iRunFar for coverage of the Hardrock,” Powell said. “We have 15-plus people out on the course with satellite phones, modems and everything we can to call in to our people manning the base.”
Hardrock race director Dale Garland follows iRunFar’s coverage as much as anyone to learn about the field he will host each year.
“Bryon has his pulse on it on a much bigger level,” Garland said.
This year, iRunFar’s Hardrock headquarters are in Argentina of all places. That allows the crew to give updates to fans across the globe as efficiently as possible.
“Volunteers relay info to the broader world and translate it simultaneously to Spanish and share it,” Powell said. “We have people moderating our online discussion for 30-plus hours during the race.”
When you’re the boss, you get to set your own hours. For Powell, that means getting a chance to run the race while the rest of his crew is hard at work. Powell finished last year during his first attempt and will start the race again this year in an effort to become a “True Hardrocker,” by finishing the race in both directions.
“It’s such a gift to be able to run this race and this course,” he said. “I get to take the day off, and I give one instruction to our volunteers: do the best you can and don’t talk to me about coverage during the race. I don’t want to worry about it.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
