This weekend within the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, the thirtieth operating of the Hardrock 100 takes place. Notable for being one of the difficult 100-mile runs in North America, Hardrock can also be very troublesome to get into, because it has a restricted discipline dimension of 146 and is immensely fashionable with runners all over the world. I used to be lucky to run Hardrock twice, as soon as within the counterclockwise course in 2009, and a second time within the clockwise course in 2016.
In 2009, I ran Hardrock simply 13 days after ending the Western States 100. Instantly after the Western States awards ceremony, with my younger household in tow, we drove from California to Colorado and spent the ten days main as much as the occasion tenting, climbing, fishing, and having fun with the laid-back vibe of the Silverton, Colorado, space, the place the occasion takes place. On the time, we lived at 6,000 ft in Ketchum, Idaho, so the excessive elevation appeared manageable within the days main as much as the run, and though I used to be not absolutely recovered from Western, after we began, I felt adequate to provide it an excellent, trustworthy effort.
Because it turned out, I ran a fairly aggressive time that yr and ended up ending fifth in a time of 28:09 and, for the primary and solely time in my profession, I really crossed the road forward of ultrarunning legend Jared Campbell.
The writer on the end of the 2009 Hardrock 100, together with his spouse Shelly and Hardrock 100 run director Dale Garland. Picture courtesy of Andy Jones-Wilkins.
Reflecting on the day 16 years later, plainly little has modified. Positive, as a result of run’s elevated reputation and the path operating growth we’ve seen over the previous decade, many extra eyeballs are on the occasion than there have been again within the day. Moreover, the competitors on the entrance is as fierce as ever. Nonetheless, the core values of Hardrock and the group really feel it engenders are as alive now as they had been in 2009.
Seven years later, in 2016, I used to be fortunate within the lottery and bought my second likelihood to run Hardrock and try and turn out to be what some name a real Hardrocker. Through the years, the thought has come about {that a} true Hardrocker is one who completes the loop in each instructions. Within the years since 2009, my household and I had moved again east to Virginia, so I went into the 2016 run with out the advantage of long-term altitude acclimation that I loved in 2009. Moreover, a mix of labor and life stress knocked me off my recreation mentally that yr, and I struggled to a 41:51 end. To today, I consider the entire individuals with two or extra finishes, I’ve the biggest hole between quickest and slowest.
The spotlight of my 2016 run, as troublesome because it was, was operating the final 10 miles with my oldest son, Carson. Not a runner himself, my crew selected Carson to tempo me the final 10 miles as a result of he had the perfect perspective, and once I look again on the expertise now, he was the proper selection. Now, 27 years previous and a brand new dad residing in Durango, Colorado, Carson stays one of the optimistic individuals I do know — a top quality I prefer to assume was partially honed on that day in July of 2016.
AJW and Carson atop Little Big Move throughout the 2016 Hardrock 100. Picture: Carson Jones-Wilkins
Since that run in 2016, I’ve returned to Hardrock a number of occasions as a pacer, crew member, coach, and, for the previous three years, as a member of the livestream commentary group with Mountain Outpost. My reminiscences of my two journeys across the course are as vivid as ever, and whereas I don’t intend to run the occasion once more, I take nice pleasure in returning annually to play a small half within the great group 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, situated at mile 58 (counterclockwise) and mile 42 (clockwise) of the Hardrock course. Stormy’s Imperial Stout is a deep, wealthy stout, weighing in at 8% ABV. In no way bitter, it is a clean consuming stout that’s barely candy. For anybody killing time on the Ouray assist station throughout Hardrock, it’s nicely price making a visit to the Ouray Brewery.
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