My marathons

Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run

Silverton
Silverton
Silverton. Photograph by Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser gives the course as 101.8 miles with 33,441 feet of climbing and 33,441 feet of descent, an average height of about 11,000 feet and a high point of 14,048 feet.

The course in short 3 lines
  • 101.8 miles, 66,882 feet of change, high point 14,048 feet33,441 ft up and down, 11,000 ft on average, 14,048 ft at the top.
  • Fourteen aid stations, self-supported between the towns14 aid stations; the long gaps are self-supported.
  • A lottery drawn from about 3,000 applicantsAbout 3,000 applicants a year, drawn by lottery.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradient101.8 miles, 66,882 feet of change, high point 14,048 feet33,441 ft up and down, 11,000 ft on average, 14,048 ft at the top.

The loop links Lake City, Ouray, Telluride and Silverton, and the finish is in Silverton, where the run starts. Altitude runs from 7,700 to over 14,000 feet, and timberline is at about 11,800 feet; most of the run is above 11,000 feet in exposed ground. The organiser calls the course closed, so runners must follow the specified route, and marks cross-country sections more heavily than trails and roads.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsFourteen aid stations, self-supported between the towns14 aid stations; the long gaps are self-supported.

The course is on trails as much as possible. The organiser lists wading knee-deep ice-cold streams, snow fields in slick and post-holing conditions, and trails with 300-foot cliffs close to one side. Elk are common in the high meadows, black bears are present and mountain lions may be met.

Sourced

Whole courseCrowdA lottery drawn from about 3,000 applicantsAbout 3,000 applicants a year, drawn by lottery.

There are two pools. In the Never Finished pool applicants get 2^N tickets, where N is the number of earlier did-not-starts since they last started Hardrock; in the Finished pool, one ticket for each did-not-start. Registration for the 2027 lottery had closed by October 2026, and a wait list is kept after the field is full. The entry fee is $450 plus UltraSignup processing fees.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Race fuel for Silverton

One gel every 40 minutes once you are past about 75 minutes of running, plus a spare.

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
race
Ultramarathon

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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