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HARDROCK 100 MILES 2022: RACE PREVIEW & FAVOURITES
HARDROCK 100 MILES 2022: RACE PREVIEW & FAVOURITES. Our TRAIL RUNNING USA section bring us today the preview of the 2022 Hardrock 100 miles that will take place on 15th July in Silverston, Colorado.
Rrunners will departure from Silverton, Colorado, in a clockwise direction. They will be crossing thirteen major passes in the 12,000′ (3600 m) to 13,000′ (4000m) range, ultil reaching the highest point on the course being the 14,048′(4200 m) summit of Handies Peak, to finally arrive back to Silverton after 100 miles/160km and complete the tradition of, instead of crossing a finish line, “kiss the Hardrock”, a picture of a ram’s head painted on a large block of stone mining debris.
HARDROCK 100 MILES 2022: THE RACE & HISTORY
Hardrock is one of the few that deserve international resonance for its own personality: There are Western States for being the first; Leadville for its great history and the magic of Colorado… and this HardRock that stands out perhaps among all for being the hardest and wildest according to its creators.
Completing the 160km of this adventure, should be done in 48 hours, well. But crossing 13 high mountain passes of more than 3,700 meters of altitude. Logically, with this radical route some years the race must be suspended due to excessive snow, like in 2019.
In fact, the words “Wild & Tough” receive on the finish rock each finisher, every year. Because at the Silverton finish line, as the image above shows, the race doesn’t end until you kiss the finishing rock 🙂
Each year’s run is run in the opposite direction of the previous year’s event (2018 was run in the clockwise direction, 2021 was counter-clockwise and 2022 will again be clockwise).
HARDROCK 100 MILES: THE ORIGINS
The following text is an original from the www.hardrock100.com:
In the fall of 1991, Gordon Hardman (Boulder & Lake City, CO) placed a notice in Ultrarunning Magazine that in the summer of 1992 there would be a 100-mile run in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. John Cappis (Telluride, CO & Los Alamos, NM) contacted Gordon and asked what his thoughts were for a course.
The general approach was to bring the route as close as possible to Silverton, Lake City, Ouray, and Telluride, the four major mining towns of the San Juan district. The original thought was to change the start/finish between towns each year to add variety to the run. Cappis volunteered to try and lay out a course, keeping in mind the idea of connecting the towns while at the same time selecting routes that would be on trails as much as possible.
A basic principle was that the course make use of the old mining trails as much as possible. This event was to be not only a physical and psychological challenge to the entrants, but also a celebration of the miners that made that area what it had become. It was envisioned as a “Post Graduate” run. Entry was limited to those who had finished several other certified 100 mile runs and/or were considered, in the opinion of the run management, capable of finishing what was meant to be the most mountainous trail run in the United States.
By January of 1992 a route developed entirely from map studies was available. Charlie Thorn (Los Alamos, NM) then became active in the process and by April the necessary government permits were obtained. In June, Charlie, Rick Trujillo and Cappis spent many days making sure the chosen routes were feasible and making field adjustments, including addition of the Dives Little Giant section only one week before the run. The course was run in the clockwise direction with a nominal length of 98.8 miles and a cumulative vertical gain of 29684 feet. Start and finish was in the Silverton Memorial Park with a large tent serving as run headquarters.
A race full of romanticism and hardness: cross 13 mountain passes of more than 3700 meters following the paths originally used by the miners of the nineteenth century in the mountains of San Juan, Colorado, to reach and kiss a rock that symbolizes the effort and tenacity of those ultrarunners who challenge the 162 km, to finish in an average time of about 40 hours , which means, spend 2 nights in the race.
HARDROCK 100 MILES 2022:
RACE PREVIEW & FAVOURITES
HARDROCK 100 MILES 2022: THE ROUTE CLOCKWISE DIRECTION
Photo: Hardrock100
Here you can read the full Hardrock 2022 Runners Manual
HARDROCK 100 MILES 2022: THE FAVORITES
In the men’s category the TOP favorites and the race we all are expecting to enjoy is the face-to-face between the French François D’Haene and the Spanish Kilian Jornet, who in fact has won everytime he run in Silvertone (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) Between the both of them, they have more UTMB victories than many other athletes together.
The Spanish athlete comes from winning Zegama with an stonishing time and obtaining his 10th Victory in the mythical Basque race.
This is how the Spanish athlete shared his latest training information on his social media.
François D’Haene is already in Colorado for a while, as you can see below, and comes from winning this seasson the Volvic VVX.
Jeff Browning, the veteran American runner, who is in fact he returning Champion at the Hardrock 100, and Dakota Jones who this year joined Kilian Jornet in his Team NNormal and won the Canyons by UTMB 50KM and also competed in Zegama some weeks ago.
In the women’s category, there are also 2 names that we would highlight above some others, like Courtney Dauwalter, who despite her DNF last year, the last victories on her curriculum make her the favourite above all other competitors: UTMB victory and record 2021, victory and course record Madeira Ultra Trail 2022…
Darcy Piceu , also a returning champion with her victories in 2012, 2013 and 2014, will most likely also be a hard contendent and will fight for another victory.
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