This is the weekend for the mother of all 100 mile runs, the Hardrock. 100 miles and 33k of vert through the most rugged mountains in CO. Crux section below, traversing 14er Handies Peak.

It’s one of my ultimate goals to do this. You must submit a resume of runs to be considered, and even then you have to get lucky in the weighted lottery!

Bit of a pity that the race (run 0600 Friday through Sunday) will fall such that we won’t be able to pop buy to or from Crested Butte and catch some action. Perhaps some alpine scouting will be in order for Sunday, when my legs are sure to be scorched. This time of year, more than any other, I wish I lived in the mountains.

The race will be a race, moreso than ever. Scott Jurek, former Western States master, has been camped out in the area for the past month getting acclimated. Karl Meltzer, the best ultrarunner in the country over technical 100 milers, has been on a tear setting course records at the Bighorn among others. (He won the Red Hot in February, and running a 4:48 over that course is awe inspiring). Should be fun to watch, in retrospect.

2009, Geoff?

What occurs to me, looking at the maps, is that the towns are spaced fairly evenly. That combined with plenty of water available en route seems to beg for a self-supported run/hike. The future, methinks. Still working on a stable pack that would work for such an endeavor.

Edit:
Crunching the numbers. The 57 miles from Silverton to Ouray withou resupply might be problematic. Splits for a 40 hour finish (back of mid-pack) adds up to around 22 hours for that bit. Carrying that much food on the back may or may not be practical. Perhaps a bucket buried in the dirt in Sherman Gulch?

Fun to think about.