Some of the best ultra runners in the world are already in Silverton and are ready to begin the 2024 Hardrock 100, one of the premier ultramarathons, early on Friday morning.
Runners will compete on the 102.5-mile loop that has a total elevation change of 66,394 feet at an average elevation of 11,000 feet.
Every year, the racecourse changes direction. This year, the athletes will run clockwise toward Telluride, then toward Ouray and then Lake City before heading back toward Silverton for the finish.
Runners will start the race at 6 a.m. on Friday in Silverton. Hardrock 100 Run Director Dale Garland expects the leaders to finish the race around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. on Sunday.
Each year, Garland and the Hardrock 100 staff select only 146 runners to compete in the Hardrock 100. This year, Garland said they had 2,700 people apply to run in the race.
“It's based on a couple of things,” Garland said about the selection process. “One is based on gender. The second thing is based on the number of finishes of Hardrock that you’ve done. Now we've developed basically four buckets, if you will, of applicants, and then we pick from each of those with a prescribed a number of selections.”
The gender selection process is based on the male-to-female ratio of applicants. Garland said this year, 79% of the applicants were male and 21% of the applicants were female. Therefore, roughly 79% of the 146 runners are male and 21% are female.
Runners have to complete the race in 48 hours. The record for a male was set by Killian Jornet in 2022 with a finish of 21 hours and 36 minutes. For a female, Courtney Dauwalter set the record last year with a finishing time of 26:14.
The entire course is open to the fans if anyone wants to hike and watch the runners go by in the San Juan Mountains. If fans want to stay home, they can follow the action on the livestream on the Hardrock website, https://hardrock100.com/, or follow the satellite tracking also on the website.
Dauwalter is back to defend her title and is the favorite on the women’s side. France’s Claire Bannwarth is a challenger along with France’s Camille Bruyas.
On the men’s side, France’s François D’Haene is the favorite as he’s run two of the fastest three times in Hardrock history.
Durango is represented on the men’s side with Jason Schlarb competing.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
