After finishing third last year, Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth repeated her placing at the 2025 Hardrock 100. In the following interview. Katharina talks about how important it was for her to finish the event, even after losing much of her vision in the event’s second half, how the early miles of the race played out, having to walk the final climb and descent because of vision issues, and needing to run the final half mile of the event to maintain her podium position.
Read our 2025 Hardrock 100 results article for the full play-by-play on this year’s race.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to see the video above, click here to access it.]
Katharina Hartmuth Post-2025 Hardrock 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Katharina Hartmuth. It’s the day after the 2025 Hardrock 100 endurance run. You’re the women’s third-place finisher for the second time in a row.
Katharina Hartmuth: Yeah. Thank you.
iRunFar: How are you feeling today?
Hartmuth: A bit tired.
iRunFar: Just a little tired.
Hartmuth: Otherwise, not too bad. My feet are a bit messed up, but that’s it.
iRunFar: And is a good way to summarize your race is that everything was going well until it wasn’t, and then when it wasn’t, it was very bad?
Hartmuth: More or less.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: I would like to add that the first, the first 40k was also, pretty miserable.
iRunFar: Oh, really?
Hartmuth: Yeah.
iRunFar: Oh, I never would have guessed.
Hartmuth: No. I had a really rough start to the race.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: Maybe the first 10k was alright, and then somehow like, I felt like, Oh, I feel bad way too early.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: Yeah. But then the middle part was actually good. I’m happy with that. And then, yeah, at some point, it just all totally went off.
iRunFar: So, there was some wildfire smoke on the course, especially like, the first half of the first day. Was it that that you think impacted you, or you just took a while to warm up? Or what do you think was going on in the early part there?
Hartmuth: No. Not necessarily. I think, well, I mean, it was a bit annoying, but, well, thankfully, I think it was only the first couple of hours that we were affected. No, I had like, I think, well it was several things. The night before I had some stomach issues.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: So, I couldn’t really fall asleep. And then I was like, yeah, my stomach wasn’t that good, so that was an issue early on. And then I just felt like I didn’t have any legs.
iRunFar: So early in the race?
Hartmuth: Yeah. Like my legs, they hurt. So, this is interesting because I didn’t feel like, I mean, I fueled, and I was eating. So, I was like, That’s interesting. Maybe something is off today. I don’t know. So that was a bit worrying, and then actually my biggest concern was when I made it through Pole Creek and came down to Sherman, the first real bomber descent. Like, after coming down from Little Giant.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: My knee was already a bit not too happy.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: And that was also my biggest concern before the race that that may not hold up for the entire race. So, I was like, yeah. It’s a bit too early for everything.
iRunFar: Okay. Yeah. You had problems from the start then.
Hartmuth: Yeah.
iRunFar: You said a second ago that maybe around 40k things started feeling better?
Hartmuth: Yeah. It was basically at Sherman because they had such a great atmosphere at the aid station, and it was just like, the why. And I was eating well, and they gave me the ice in the head, and I was just like, Okay, let’s go, let’s do the road, and then a long climb up Handies. And yeah, felt like Okay maybe we can turn this around. But yeah, I think mainly the knee thing was always in my head kind of. But I think when I ran on the road I feel like, yeah, my legs felt a little bit better.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: I mean, I never had the greatest legs to be honest, but at least they didn’t feel like, shitty anymore.
iRunFar: And then how did you feel about the heat of the day? I think a lot of people have talked about the heat high up on Handies being pretty hot. And then, of course, the long descent into the oven that is Ouray.
Hartmuth: Yeah. I feel the heat, like, it never really hit me because when I was on the road to Burrows, I had this super nice icy head.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: And then going up Handies, it didn’t feel that bad. Also not on Engineer. I was fine. And when I went actually, when I went down to Ouray, it was like, the evening hour, so it was maybe not that warm anymore.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: So, it was actually pretty nice of the light.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: I really enjoyed that. I think the only time I felt the heat was yesterday when I had to walk down from Putnam.
iRunFar: Got it.
Hartmuth: And it was like, in the middle of the day, and that just, yeah. Then it affected me. But the first day, no. That was fine.
iRunFar: Interesting.
Hartmuth: Yeah.
iRunFar: So, in terms of the women’s race, early on, Katie [Schide] was out in front of you and Manon [Bohard Cailler] but you and Manon were in relative contact with each other.
Hartmuth: Yeah.
iRunFar: And then maybe it was after the 50k-ish point that you two sort of became strung out and were kind of more definitively on your own, in your own races or your own places?
Hartmuth: Yeah. Well, we stayed together a bit, like, up to Little Giant, and then after Cunningham, Green Mountain. And then I think I pretty much hit my first low at Maggie’s.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: And she just went up the pass and I was like, okay.
iRunFar: I just have to see you later.
Hartmuth: And then I, yeah. First part of Pole Creek, I was just like, taking it super chill.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: And then I knew she was somewhere just ahead of me, but I was so much focused on my issues already, I didn’t even think about it.
iRunFar: You weren’t thinking about the race at all?
Hartmuth: No. And with Katie, I was just like, yeah. She’s going to do her thing, and, well, let’s see how it all plays out.
iRunFar: Yeah. And so, things kind of got pretty bad for you in the nighttime, where your vision started to go. And then by daytime, you said it was gone from one eye entirely.
Hartmuth: Yes. So actually, yeah, unfortunately, it already started way earlier than last year.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: It already started on Camp Bird Road, when it was not even dark yet, and I was going up and I was like, Oh, this. It was just like, getting a bit foggy, and I was like, Oh, okay. I noticed, but hopefully it won’t get worse. And then throughout the night, it was fine, more or less. I mean, sometimes when I was on a dusty road, maybe it was a bit difficult to see the contours with the bright light of the headlamp. Or on snow, that was a bit tricky. But otherwise, I was fine.
And then it really only got really bad after we left at Chapman. Went up to Grant Swamp Pass. Yeah. And suddenly it was all super foggy, and I was like, Oh, wow. It’s really difficult to see the ground, and to see the rocks and where I’m where I’m going. And I mean, yeah, you know, going up to Grant Swamp, even like, the first few pitches, it’s just all super rocky. And I was already stumbling a lot and tripping over rocks. I was like, Oh, okay. And I knew what was still yet to come.
iRunFar: Ahead. Yeah.
Hartmuth: So, I was like, Oh, that will be interesting, how we will get up there.
iRunFar: That will be interesting.
Hartmuth: Yeah. And then I was so glad I had a pacer. I mean, without a pacer, I wouldn’t have found the trail, first of all, and then I wouldn’t have made it up the steep pitch, but we made it somehow. And then at the top, that was when it was the worst, because suddenly, my one eye was completely gone, so it was just all this grayish fizz. And with the other eye, I could still somehow distinguish snow from not snow, but yeah, that was suboptimal. And then actually,
iRunFar: Suboptimal. Understatement.
Hartmuth: Yeah. It really wasn’t great, and you know, the sun came up, and then you have the slow sun, and the shadows still. And like, it was so messed up. I really couldn’t see where I was going. And I mean, yeah, my pacer Jess, she tried to tell me, “Hey, it’s smooth,” or “it’s rocky,” or “there is roots,” but it was so frustrating because we knew we just had to go down to the next aid station, to KT. And I was like, okay. We were trying to like, do a little shuffle, to speed up, but most of the time we were walking, and I was just falling all the time, because even if she said, “Be careful, there’s a step,” and I knew there was a step, you couldn’t see the step.
iRunFar: You couldn’t see the step.
Hartmuth: I still couldn’t see the step. So yeah. That was just super frustrating, and I hit like, one time I fell into a root almost, and I hit my knee really bad, and I was like, oh, man. Now I drew my knee here. Like, it was all these things coming together, and I just wanted to get to the aid station. And then at the same time, we were so slow. And I was like, Man, this race is already hard enough. You know? We’ve been out here for a long time. And now I can’t see. I was just like, Oh, I just want to see.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: So much harder.
iRunFar: You took an extended sort of medical break at KT, decided to go on. I think that you said the medical folks said, well, the only way for this to end is really to stop exercising, but you decided, you chose to continue on.
Hartmuth: Yes. So yeah. I mean, you know, it’s Hardrock. It’s like, unless something is really bad, there is no real reason to DNF, especially when you are that close. So well, what I wanted to make sure is that I don’t have, that I don’t risk permanent damage.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: And that’s why we spoke at length with the medics at KT. And they were like, “Yeah, you know what? There will be no permanent damage, but yeah, if you go out there again, it could be that you’re on top of Putnam and you’re blind again.” And then maybe it’s not even the eyes that is the issue, but you fall and you hurt yourself, and that was what they were concerned about. But as soon as I knew that there was no, like, permanent damage possible, I was like, Yeah. I think I should continue. Like, my worry at that point was actually more my knee because I hit it so badly that I was like, well, I was sure I couldn’t run downhill anymore. So, I was like, yeah. That’s a long downhill to hike.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: But, yeah, it was pretty clear that, I mean, on one point I was super frustrated and disappointed, because I was like man this year, I was in for definitely a better race than last year. And even though I had all the issues beforehand and I couldn’t train a lot before, but I was like, yeah, the chance was there. And when we were at Chapman, we were like, yeah, we have the goal time when you want to be here, and it all looks good. So that was what was frustrating because suddenly I realized, well, if I walk over Putnam, just like, I won’t be happier with my time.
iRunFar: Your goal is slipping away. Yeah.
Hartmuth: Totally. Like, I think at that point, I just, mentally, my race somehow ended there. But at the same time, I was like, I switched I think, to a different perspective. And I was like, Well, you know, it’s Hardrock. You can’t just stop here, and then, I don’t know, in two hours your eyesight is back, and, but they cut your wristband, and you can’t go and be stuck. So, I was like, No. That can’t happen. So, I was like, Yeah. There’s just one way to go, that’s up and down Putnam.
iRunFar: And to find the finish.
Hartmuth: Exactly. And yeah, it was a painful slog, actually, because my feet really hurt, and I got super hot feet and then the heat affected me quite a bit. I mean, I think because mentally I ended my race a bit at KT suddenly also my body like, wasn’t,
iRunFar: Was done racing.
Hartmuth: Not feeling well anymore. And I mean, until there, I was super good with my fueling, but suddenly I lost motivation a bit. It was just, I didn’t really look after myself well on that last bit. But yeah, we made it.
iRunFar: When your medical issue started, you were pretty solidly in third position. The women in fourth, fifth, sixth behind you had quite a gap. But as time progressed, they got closer and closer, such that there was a little bit of pressure at the end of the race to maintain your third position and get there in front of them.
Hartmuth: Yeah. Totally. That, yep. The funny thing is because, as I said, I was like, done with my race and it was just about to finish. I didn’t even think about that at all. It was, yeah, I mean I realized that nobody really was overtaking us, also not many guys. I knew that from last year that the gaps can be quite significant, but I, yeah, it was not on my agenda.
iRunFar: To have to race it in?
Hartmuth: I mean, actually, I even thought, I really would just like to be at the finish without any media and camera stuff because I already knew it would be a very emotional finish just because I was so disappointed.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: So, I thought like, Maybe it’s better if I don’t make the podium. But then, yeah, we crossed the river, and it’s still like, 4k to go from there. And suddenly my pacer, he got the call like, “You guys should hurry, because fourth and fifth place is like two minutes behind.” And we were, because we were walking all the time, and I thought we were just walking to the finish, and suddenly he was like, “Maybe you should try and run a little bit, and do a shuffle.” And I was like doing the shuffle, I was like Oh man, this is really like, that’s not nice, but okay we do the shuffle. Then we came onto the Shrine Road and he says like, “How about running the Shrine Road?” I was like, “What?”
iRunFar: I wasn’t planning to do this.
Hartmuth: It wasn’t my agenda to like, walk all the way over Putnam, but then run the Shrine Road, but we actually ran the entire Shrine Road. I was breathing hard. I was like, so done. And running down into the finish, it’s yeah. So, the finish was a bit abrupt almost, because I was so in my walking mode and just like, I just want to get there and kiss a rock and that’s it. And suddenly it was about that third-place thing again. And yeah, it felt a bit weird because I thought, you know, I could have been here, like, three and a half, four hours earlier. Maybe I would still have had third place, but that would have been the race I wanted to, where I feel like, Okay, I actually deserve third place maybe. And now it felt a bit like, yeah, you know, I feel like it definitely, in the end it wasn’t the race I wanted anymore.
So, it felt a bit weird to be congratulated, and at the same time feeling this, I mean, feeling proud that I managed of course to get through and actually get to the finish line, because when I was at Grant Swamp Pass I was like, I don’t even know how to get down from here. But yeah, it made me sad because I think I was doing the race, like mid-race, I felt like I was actually proud because I managed to get over that first part. I was really not feeling good. And also, for example, Camp Bird Road, I was like, yeah, I nailed it. I ran the passages I wanted to run, and I felt like, yeah, Okay, I got this, and reminded myself I only had four weeks of running.
So, yeah, I felt happy with my race, but yeah, then in the end, it was a bit of a bummer that it was so close to the finish line, but still then suddenly it wasn’t close at all.
iRunFar: Last question for you. We are, you know, a little less than a day after finishing. There is that interplay as you said of like, wanting to feel proud of moving through and you know, seeing a challenge, getting through it, with the dynamic of not having the race that you wanted. But it all sort of sits in the fact that this is a 100-mile race, and this is Hardrock, where challenges are expected, and muddling your way through is kind of a little bit a part of the experience. Like, have you in the time that’s passed since you finished, has any of that pride or that feeling of, like, “Yes, I was resilient yesterday.” Are you starting to feel that and occupy that emotion at all?
Hartmuth: Yeah. It’s better now.
iRunFar: Okay.
Hartmuth: I mean, yeah, I talked with a couple people, and everybody was like, yeah, you know what? This is actually for most people, this is Hardrock.
iRunFar: Yep.
Hartmuth: Like, some things happen that are like, make the race even harder, and it’s actually quite unusual that you just cruise through like Ludo[vic Pommeret] does, obviously.
iRunFar: He’s our genetic anomaly.
Hartmuth: Yeah. Totally. But it’s, I don’t know. I also came to the conclusion that actually it was maybe not like, yeah. It was quite an achievement to still finish, and I mean it would have been super easy to just DNF at KT and say, Well, I can’t see. Well, that’s obvious, I can’t continue.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: I was like, no, it’s Hardrock. I mean, I have to get to the rock. You know, I can still walk. Somehow, you know, I didn’t cut off my leg, or like, it was impossible to go there. And also just hearing from people, getting the feedback from others, like, “Wow, that was that’s pretty cool.” I think now I feel a bit better about it. I would say I still have like, it’s still both. I’m still disappointed, of course.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: Especially because after last year I thought, like, okay, I know now all the things I want to work on, and especially the nutrition thing that was my biggest issue last year, I was like, yeah, I got so much better with that. And I was proud at every aid station, I was still eating. So, stuff like that, and I think now in hindsight I can more appreciate that actually I, yeah. Even though on paper it looks like it was a worse race than last year, I feel like no, it was actually a better race. But in the end, yeah, just…
iRunFar: It was a different race.
Hartmuth: Yeah.
iRunFar: Ultimately a different race.
Hartmuth: Exactly.
iRunFar: Congratulations on your third-place finish, Katharina. We look forward to seeing you here again, which I know you will do.
Hartmuth: Oh, I will certainly be back. Of course.
