This weekend in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, the 30th running of the Hardrock 100 takes place. Notable for being one of the most challenging 100-mile runs in North America, Hardrock is also very difficult to get into, as it has a limited field size of 146 and is immensely popular with runners around the world. I was fortunate to run Hardrock twice, once in the counterclockwise direction in 2009, and a second time in the clockwise direction in 2016.
In 2009, I ran Hardrock just 13 days after finishing the Western States 100. Immediately after the Western States awards ceremony, with my young family in tow, we drove from California to Colorado and spent the 10 days leading up to the event camping, hiking, fishing, and enjoying the laid-back vibe of the Silverton, Colorado, area, where the event takes place. At the time, we lived at 6,000 feet in Ketchum, Idaho, so the high elevation seemed manageable in the days leading up to the run, and although I was not fully recovered from Western, when we started, I felt good enough to give it a good, honest effort.
As it turned out, I ran a pretty competitive time that year and ended up finishing fifth in a time of 28:09 and, for the first and only time in my career, I actually crossed the line ahead of ultrarunning legend Jared Campbell.
The author at the finish of the 2009 Hardrock 100, with his wife Shelly and Hardrock 100 run director Dale Garland. Photo courtesy of Andy Jones-Wilkins.
Reflecting on the day 16 years later, it seems that little has changed. Sure, due to the run’s increased popularity and the trail running boom we’ve seen over the past decade, many more eyeballs are on the event than there were back in the day. Additionally, the competition at the front is as fierce as ever. Nonetheless, the core values of Hardrock and the community feel it engenders are as alive now as they were in 2009.
Seven years later, in 2016, I was lucky in the lottery and got my second chance to run Hardrock and attempt to become what some call a true Hardrocker. Over the years, the idea has come about that a true Hardrocker is one who completes the loop in both directions. In the years since 2009, my family and I had moved back east to Virginia, so I went into the 2016 run without the benefit of long-term altitude acclimation that I enjoyed in 2009. Additionally, a blend of work and life stress knocked me off my game mentally that year, and I struggled to a 41:51 finish. To this day, I think of all of the people with two or more finishes, I have the largest gap between fastest and slowest.
The highlight of my 2016 run, as difficult as it was, was running the last 10 miles with my oldest son, Carson. Not a runner himself, my crew chose Carson to pace me the last 10 miles because he had the best attitude, and when I look back on the experience now, he was the perfect choice. Now, 27 years old and a new dad living in Durango, Colorado, Carson remains one of the most positive people I know — a quality I like to think was partially honed on that day in July of 2016.
AJW and Carson atop Little Giant Pass during the 2016 Hardrock 100. Photo: Carson Jones-Wilkins
Since that run in 2016, I have returned to Hardrock several times as a pacer, crew member, coach, and, for the past three years, as a member of the livestream commentary team with Mountain Outpost. My memories of my two trips around the course are as vivid as ever, and while I don’t intend to run the event again, I take great joy in returning each year to play a small part in the wonderful community that surrounds the Hardrock 100.
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s beer of the week comes from Ouray Brewery in Ouray, Colorado, located at mile 58 (counterclockwise) and mile 42 (clockwise) of the Hardrock course. Stormy’s Imperial Stout is a deep, rich stout, weighing in at 8% ABV. Not at all bitter, this is a smooth drinking stout that is slightly sweet. For anyone killing time at the Ouray aid station during Hardrock, it’s well worth making a trip to the Ouray Brewery.
Call for Comments
Have you run the Hardrock 100? Tell us your memories of it.
