The 2023 Hardrock 100 set off at 6 a.m. on Friday, July 14 in Silverton, Colorado, the small mountain city sitting within the early morning shadow of the mighty San Juan Mountains.
Confronted with 102.5 miles and greater than 33,000 toes of elevation acquire, runners got down to traverse the huge and rugged counterclockwise loop — the occasion adjustments route every year — round certainly one of Colorado’s most spectacular mountain ranges, heading first towards Lake Metropolis, then on to Ouray and Telluride, earlier than returning to Silverton for the end.
In the long run, it was Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (pre-race interview) of France to make it again to Silverton to kiss the rock first with a time of 23:00:07. He took the race lead from the beginning and by no means seemed again.
For the ladies, it was one other dominant efficiency from Courtney Dauwalter (pre-race interview), the place she not solely set a counterclockwise course file with a time of 26:14:08, but in addition an total ladies’s file and a Western States 100-Hardrock 100 double file with a mixed time of 41:43:42 — however extra on all that in a bit.
However this version of the Hardrock 100 wasn’t straightforward for anybody. After an enormous winter within the San Juan Mountains, there was snow. And loads of it. Massive snowfields flanked Virginius Move/Kroger’s Canteen and Grant-Swamp Move, and snowmelt made a lot of the course muckier than regular.
It wasn’t simply the snow that would offer environmental challenges past the conventional obstacles discovered within the San Juans. The warmth that was additionally uncommon. With barely a cloud within the sky for the whole race and no probability of rain, temperatures soared within the 80s Fahrenheit on the course’s decrease elevations and brought about many runners a big quantity of misery.
Courtney Dauwalter set a brand new ladies’s course file and positioned fourth total on the 2023 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Pre-race, the boys’s race gave the impression to be large open with not one of the top-four males of 2022 returning. As an alternative, a handful of males, some with Hardrock expertise and much more with out it, lined as much as vie for the win. It’s most likely honest to say that a number of males had ambitions for the win, and few have been prepared to choose a transparent frontrunner.
However, it appeared like only a few have been prepared to wager towards Dauwalter for the win. Recent off of her course file on the 2023 Western States 100 simply three weeks prior, the 2022 Hardrock 100 champion and file holder confirmed as much as Silverton showing recovered and prepared. Nonetheless, working two 100-mile races in a three-week span offers loads of miles for one thing to go unsuitable, and there have been a handful of girls able to benefit from a probably drained Dauwalter.
A particular because of HOKA for making our protection of the Hardrock 100 doable!
Thanks additionally to LEKI for its assist of our Hardrock protection.
2023 Hardrock 100 Males’s Race
With none clear race favourite this yr, the boys’s race was large open, and France’s Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (pre-race interview) made the a lot of the alternative to go to the entrance instantly, main the race line-to-line. Even earlier than the primary mile was up, Dunand-Pallaz had opened up a niche on the remainder of the sector and by no means seemed again, working regular and powerful by the warmth of the day and the darkish of the night time.
Behind Dunand-Pallaz, the race between the remainder of the sector by no means let up, however the hole to the chief continued to develop steadily because the hours handed. Silverton native Avery Collins (pre-race interview) led the early chase, together with Dylan Bowman (pre-race interview), who had completed second right here in 2021. Whereas Dunand-Pallaz was working his first Hardrock 100, Bowman had course expertise on his facet, and Collins had the course in his yard to coach on.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz led the 2023 Hardrock 100 wire to wire. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Behind the 2 People, one other Frenchman, Beñat Marmissolle (pre-race interview), was biding his time in third. Brian Culmo, Spaniard Javi Dominguez, Arlen Glick, former Hardrock 100 champion Jeff Browning, Paul Terranova, and Jesse Haynes rounded out the highest 10 within the early miles of the race.
Benat Marmissolle climbs within the San Juan mountains early within the 2023 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Coming by the Maggie assist station at mile 15.5, it appeared like Dunand-Pallaz was going to offer the boys’s file a run for its cash, coming in about 10 minutes underneath course-record tempo. By this time, he was additionally 10 minutes up on Collins, who was working in second. Whereas Dunand-Pallaz’s hole on the course file had disappeared by the point he dropped into the Sherman assist station at mile 30, his hole on the remainder of the sector had grown to 13 minutes, now with Marmissolle working in second with Bowman and Collins simply a few minutes again. The remainder of the highest 10 remained unchanged.
Jeff Browning adjustments sneakers in Telluride, mile 74.5, earlier than heading out for his seventh Hardrock 100 end in 2023. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
And other than a number of shuffles inside the subject, not an entire lot modified within the prime 10 till the witching hours, after the warmth of the day turned to the darkish of night time and legs began to get heavy. Then issues began to alter, and shortly. Whereas the 2 Frenchmen continued their relentless march ahead, each Collins and Bowman faltered, and it was Dominguez who left the Chapman assist station at mile 84 in third. Glick was fourth, Terranova fifth, and Browning sixth. Each Collins and Bowman took prolonged stops at Chapman to regroup, dropping their positions however finally headed again out on the path to complete.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz completed his first Hardrock 100 in first place with the eighth-fastest time ever. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Whereas others struggled behind him, Dunand-Pallaz crested the final climb nicely away from the sector. Marmissolle adopted 40 minutes again. And from there, it was nearly all downhill for the 2 Frenchmen. Dunand-Pallaz ran again into Silverton to kiss the rock and win his first Hardrock 100 in 23:00:07, the eighth-fastest time in historical past.
Marmissolle completed second and was adopted by Dominguez who ran a gradual and sensible race from begin to finish completed third in 26:12:01. Glick completed fourth with a time of 26:43:05, and Browning would spherical out the highest 5 with a time of 27:17:02.
Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (left) and Beñat Marmissolle congratulate one another after ending first and second on the 2023 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
2023 Hardrock 100 Males’s Outcomes
- Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz (Compressport) – 23:00:07 (pre-race interview)
- Beñat Marmissolle (La Sportiva) – 23:50:06 (pre-race interview)
- Javi Dominguez (Vibram) – 26:12:01
- Arlen Glick (Craft) – 26:43:05
- Jeff Browning (Altra) – 27:17:02
- Paul Terranova – 27:54:50
- Brian Culmo – 28:57:09
- Mark Hammond (Altra) – 29:54:16
- Dylan Bowman (Goldwin) – 30:25:40 (pre-race interview)
- Chris Worth – 30:46:11
Javi Dominguez finishes third in his first Hardrock 100 in 2023. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Paul Terranova and his pacer, Zach Miller, depart Ouray, mile 58.5, late within the afternoon within the 2023 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Sarah Brady
2023 Hardrock 100 Girls’s Race
If it wasn’t for Courtney Dauwalter (pre-race interview) working the Western States 100 simply three weeks prior, crushing the ladies’s file there, and probably being a bit worn out firstly line of the Hardrock 100, it might have been laborious to search out somebody to wager towards her profitable the race this yr. But when she have been to falter, there have been a number of ladies who have been prepared to leap on the alternative.
Anne-Lise Rousset climbs blissful throughout the early miles of the 2023 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
For the primary a part of the race, it appeared like France’s Anne-Lise Rousset Séguret was going to just do that. Whereas Dauwalter led within the very early miles of the course, Rousset opened up a large hole coming by Maggie Gulch at mile 15.5 and was shifting with enthusiasm towards Pole Creek, the subsequent assist station. She got here into Sherman at mile 30 in seventh total in 6:29, trying robust. Dauwalter was simply six minutes behind, and Annie Hughes (pre-race interview) got here in subsequent, 52 minutes off the lead. With nonetheless many miles to run, it was nonetheless anybody’s race. Frenchwoman Claire Bannwarth (pre-race interview) got here by simply seven minutes later and was adopted by Japan’s Kimino Miyazaki (pre-race interview), who was 1:22 off the lead however trying spry and blissful.
The highest-two ladies got here again collectively by Grizzly Gulch at mile 36 with Hughes trailing them at slightly below an hour again. When Rousset led Dauwalter into Grouse Gulch, mile 43.5, by almost 10 minutes after traversing Handies Peak, the course excessive level, it appeared like perhaps the Western States 100-Hardrock 100 double was going to be an excessive amount of for Dauwalter to deal with.
Claire Bannwarth (left) and Annie Hughes share early miles within the race. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
But it surely’s by no means a good suggestion to wager towards probably the most dominant feminine path ultrarunner of this era. By mile 50, she’d closed the hole to 4 minutes, and in Ouray at mile 58.5, it was down to 2 minutes. When it got here to the climb out of Ouray, Dauwalter made her transfer, and the elastic to Rousset lastly snapped excessive of Virginius Move. Dauwalter by no means seemed again.
In the meantime, Hughes stayed regular in third place whereas coping with abdomen points and the remainder of the ladies’s pack, together with Miyazaki, Bannwarth, Christina Bauer, Whitney Mickelsen, Darla Askew, Becky Bates, and last-minute waitlist entrant Emily Halnon, who solely obtained into the race the morning earlier than, continued to chase — all inside shut proximity to one another.
An enthusiastic Darla Askew runs in Cunningham Gulch, mile 9, early within the 2023 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Sarah Brady
Dauwalter bumped into Telluride at mile 74.5, her tempo nonetheless hovering only a few minutes over course-record tempo, however now 23 minutes forward of second-place Rousset, and executed the fasted crew cease of the Telluride assist station, getting out and in in underneath three minutes. She was on a mission.
Annie Hughes struggled with energy the whole race however nonetheless held on for third in her debut Hardrock 100 in 2023. Picture: iRunFar/Sarah Brady
Simply 10 miles later, she was nicely beneath course-record tempo, crushing the Bear Creek Path climb out of Telluride and shifting herself into third total as a few of the lead males started to falter. Rousset additionally continued her relentless march, and whereas she was 48 minutes again on Dauwalter at mile 84, she was solely three minutes up on course-record tempo.
In the long run, there was no catching Dauwalter as she ran again to Silverton to kiss the rock with a brand new ladies’s counterclockwise course file of 26:14:08, besting the one set by the legendary Diana Finkel in 2009, and ending fourth total. She additionally set a brand new total ladies’s file, beating her outdated time of 26:44:36, which she set final yr.
Courtney Dauwalter runs downhill into Grouse Gulch at mile 43.5 of the 2023 Hardrock 100. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Not solely that, she set a brand new total file for the Western States 100-Hardrock 100 double with a mixed time of 41:43:42, beating Jeff Browning’s outdated file of 42:12:43 that he set in 2016.
Rousset would end second after a gutsy run with a time of 27:29:55, which registers because the fifth-fastest time in occasion historical past, and Hughes would maintain onto third with a time of 32:13:03 after spending almost 100 miles battling abdomen and respiration points.
Anne-Lise Rousset finishes her first Hardrock 100 in second place after main lots of the early miles. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
With massive gaps between the primary, second, and third ladies, all eyes turned to the competitors between fourth and tenth the place the time gaps have been tight and the ladies have been typically within the assist stations collectively within the again half of the race. Miyazaki and Bannwarth ran in shut proximity to one another battling for fourth and fifth, whereas Mickelsen, Halnon, Bates, Askew, and Bauer appeared to keep up the identical total tempo because the miles ticked by.
[Editor’s Note: We’ll keep updating this article as more women finish, don’t worry!]
Becky Bates comes into the Telluride assist station at mile 74.5 in rivalry for a top-10 end. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
2023 Hardrock 100 Girls’s Outcomes
- Courtney Dauwalter (Salomon) – 26:14:08 (pre-race interview)
- New course file (outdated total course file – Courtney Dauwalter, 26:44:36, 2022) (outdated clockwise course file – Diana Finkel, 28:32:00, 2009)
- Anne-Lise Rousset Séguret (Scott) – 27:29:55
- Annie Hughes (Hoka) – 32:13:03 (pre-race interview)
- Kimino Miyazaki (Hoka) – 34:17:16 (pre-race interview)
[Editor’s Note: We’ll keep updating this article as more women finish, don’t worry!]
Protection Thanks
Thanks a lot to the next people who helped iRunFar cowl this race: Alex Angstadt, Mark Conkright, Alli Hartz, Kaska Gdela, Salynda Heinl, Andy Jones-Wilkins, Joe Grant, Brian Dickert, Maya Ramsay, Eszter Horanyi, John Reese, Lance Hartzler, Marissa Harris, Olivia Rissland, Ashley Saloga, Ellie Greenwood, and Casey Wyatt. Our race manufacturing is a group manufacturing!
iRunFar founding editor Bryon Powell eats watermelon on the Telluride assist station, mile 74.5. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
