Courtney Dauwalter, Ludovic Pommeret Win Hardrock 100 in Course-Record Times

Updated July 19, 2024 10:31AM

Courtney Dauwalter is no match for even Courtney Dauwalter. For the third straight year, the 39-year-old trail running superstar won the Hardrock 100 in course-record time. Striding into downtown Silverton, Colorado early Saturday morning, to rousing applause at 8:12 A.M. local time, she kissed the large painted rock marking the finish to stop the clock in 26:11:49—two and a half minutes under her own overall women’s course record from last year, and over 30 minutes ahead of her clockwise record from 2022.

“Man, I didn’t plan on sprinting into the finish today,” Dauwalter said with a laugh. “I only knew about what pace we needed to run for the record because [my husband] Kevin was pacing me in the last section. I wouldn’t have remembered the time for that. We got to the top of Little Giant, which is like seven-ish miles away, and I said, ‘Do you think the clock could read 25 as the first number?’ And then we looked at our watches and we were like, ‘Probably not.’ It was still pretty far and not much time. But then it was like, ‘Well, what’s the overall record?’ because it was just a good carrot to dangle to get to the finish as efficiently as we could.”

After running in discomfort early on with France’s Camille Bruyas in close proximity, Dauwalter took off running out of Telluride at mile 27 and never looked back. She progressively chipped away at not only her pain cave, but also her own 2022 splits, flirting with the elusive 26-hour mark and finishing fourth overall. Bruyas finished second among women (and sixth overall) more than three hours and 15 minutes after Dauwalter in 29:28:14.

With the win, Dauwalter has now won the Hardrock 100 three times in four tries, setting course records in each of her wins. She started the race in 2021 but dropped out midway through due to stomach issues on the grueling high-altitude course which averages 11,000 feet above sea level. She’s been virtually unbeatable since, but has been a dominant force in ultra-distance trail running since 2017.

Dauwalter has also won UTMB three times, and the Western States 100 , Transgrancanaria 128K, and the Mount Fuji 100 (formerly known as Ultra Trail Mount Fuji) twice. In fact, she hasn’t lost a race she intended to be competitive in since 2019, when she placed 12th in the IAU 24 Hour World Championship in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France.

Dauwalter said she enjoyed going up and over 14,058-foot Handies Peak before sunset and was happy the temperatures cooled off. But she said she was so tired in the wee hours of the morning she had a hallucination of a big flower wearing sunglasses and smiling at her.

“I think the heat of the day worked me pretty hard, and so it felt nice to be in cooler weather for sure,” she said. “But there are quite a few rocky sections, and when you’re running those in the dark, it’s just harder. I think this race is just particularly hard in general. I was hoping this year to come back with the experience of doing it a couple years and not coming off of a race in June like I did last year and feel more fresh and be able to attack the course a little more. But it just was really hard.”

Beyond Dauwalter’s dominance, the women’s race saw somewhat of a ceremonial changing of the guard with two new faces on the podium. After an incredibly strong and vivacious first half, Bruyas battled through the second half of the gnarly course to take second. She walked into Silverton with her pacers and crew to kiss the rock in 29:28:11. Katharina Hartmuth of Germany hung tough to finish third in 30:29:12.

Pommeret Takes Down Kilian Jornet’s Record

Maybe you forgot that Ludovic Pommeret was the 2016 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc champion. Or maybe you thought the Frenchman, who turns 49 in nine days, was past his prime. Either way, he reminded us all he’s at the top of not only his game, but the game at the 2024 Hardrock 100.

The Hoka-sponsored runner from Prevessin, France, took the lead less than a third of the way into the rugged 100.5-mile clockwise-edition of the course after separating from countryman François D’Haene, the 2021 Hardrock champion and 2022 runner-up, and never looked back. Pommeret progressively chipped away at the course record splits—a course record, mind you, set by none other than Kilian Jornet in 2022—to win this year’s event in 21:33:12, the fastest time by three minutes in the race’s 33-year history. Jornet set the previous overall course record of 21:36:24, also in this clockwise direction in 2022.

(Pommeret kissed the ceremonial rock at the finish in to complete the course in 21:33:07 at 3:33 A.M. local time, but race officials credited him with the slightly slower official time.)

“It was my dream (to win it),” Pommert told a small collection of fans and media after winning the race at 3:33 A.M. local time. “I was just asking ‘when will there be a nightmare?’ But finally, there was no nightmare. Thanks to my crew. They were amazing. And thanks to all of you. This race is, uh, no word, just so cool and wild and tough.”

A Historic Day

On Friday, July 12, 146 lucky runners embarked on the 2024 Hardrock 100. Run in the clockwise direction this year, it was the “easy” way for the course with a staggering 33,000 feet of climbing thanks to the steep climbs and more tempered, runnable descents.

Combined with relatively cooperative weather (hot during the day on Friday, but no storms) and a star-studded front of the pack , the tight-knit Hardrock 100 community was on course record watch.

On the men’s side, the front of the race took a blow before the gun even went off when Zach Miller, last year’s Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc runner-up, was denied entry after undergoing an emergency appendectomy the weekend before.

Despite the heartbreak of being forced to wait another year to participate in this hallowed event, Miller was very much a presence in the race, most notably for slinging fastnachts (Amish donuts) from his van in Ouray for race supporters and fans.

The men’s race was further upended when D’Haene, in tears surrounded by his wife, three children, and friends, dropped from the race at the remote Animas Forks aid station (mile 58). An illness from two weeks before proved insurmountable for the challenge still to come. That blew the door wide open for the hard-charging leaders ahead.

Pommeret had built a 45-minute lead over Jason Schlarb, an American runner who lives locally in Durango, and Swiss runner Diego Pazos, by the time he had left the 43.9-mile Ouray aid station amid 85-degree temperatures. His split climbing up and over 12,800-foot Engineer Pass (mile 51.8) extended his lead to more than an hour over Schlarb and nearly 90-minutes at the Animas Forks aid station.

“I thought it was great. To run off the front like he did, and then just hold that all day and get the overall course record is pretty awesome,” Miller said. “When Killian did it, two years ago, it was a track race between him, Dakota [Jones], and François, after they got some separation from Dakota, it was Kilian and and François, all the way to Cunningham Gulch (the mile 91 aid station) and then Kilian just torched it on the way in. So yeah, it was super, super impressive for Ludo to do that. That’s a very impressive effort.”

A Blazing Start

The sleepy historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado was unusually hectic at 6 A.M. on Friday. In the blue hour before the sun poked over the San Juan Mountains looming above, 146 runners toed the start line of the Hardrock 100, marked by flags from the countries represented by competitors on either side of the dirt road.

With the sound of the gun, runners jogged off the start line—their caution a tacit sign of respect for the monumental challenge of what was to come. As the runners passed through town to the singletrack wending its way up to Miner’s Shrine, group of men headlined by D’Haene, Pommeret, Pazos, and Schlarb quickly took command of the front, the bright yellow t-shirt of Dauwalter was easy to spot just behind, along with Hartmuth and Bruyas.

If they weren’t awake already, runners certainly were after crossing the ice-cold Mineral Creek two miles into their journey before starting the grunt up to Putnam Basin. At the top of a sunny, grassy Putnam Ridge (mile 7) 1:34 into the race, the lead pack of men remained, while Dauwalter had made a statement solo just three minutes back from the men and four minutes up on Hartmuth.

Dauwalter was smiling and chatty when she reached the KT aid station at mile 11.5, in 2:24 elapsed. By Chapman (mile 18.4), four hours in and 10 minutes under her own course record pace, she was pouring water on her head under the blazing sun. Things were heating up—in more ways than one.

It’s a Race!

When Pommeret galloped into Telluride (mile 27.7) after 5:37 of elapsed time in the lead, he was right on Jornet’s course record pace. One minute, some fluids and restocking later, and he was gone.

But wait, it was still a close race! D’Haene charged into Telluride just two minutes later and hardly stopped before continuing on through downtown before busting out the poles and starting the steep, steep 5,000-foot climb up Virginius Pass to the iconic Kroger’s Canteen aid station nestled into a notch of rock at the top at 13,000 feet.

Not to be outdone, the women’s race proved equally thrilling coming into Telluride. Bruyas bridged the gap up to Dauwalter, and the two ran into town together in 6:25 elapsed. Both took three minutes in the aid station, although that must have been enough social time for Dauwalter, as she pulled ahead marching up the climb, poles out and head down. A bouncy Bruyas alternated between hiking and jogging just behind.

But time again, Dauwalter’s long, powerful stride simply proved unparalleled. By Kroger’s (mile 32.7) Dauwalter had reestablished her lead by five minutes over Bruyas and 17 ahead of Hartmuth in third. She’d built that gap to 10 minutes in Ouray at mile 43.9, but she left that aid station in less than two minutes with a stern, serious look on her face. But as she crested Engineer Pass at the golden hour, wildflowers blanketing the vibrant green hillsides basking in the setting sun, she enjoyed a 30-minute lead in the women’s race and was knocking at the door of the men’s podium.

While Dauwalter forged ahead with her unforgiving campaign for a third straight win, the men’s race started to rumble. Like Dauwalter, Pommeret continued to blaze the lead looking strong as he trotted down Engineer to the Animas Forks aid station at mile 57.9 in 11:39 elapsed. He hardly stopped before continuing on to Handies Peak, which at 14,058 feet marks the high point of the race. He had blown the race wide open.

An hour and 15 minutes later, Schlarb, looking a bit more beleaguered, ran into Animas Forks with his pacer, where he sat down and changed his shirt while receiving a pep talk from his partner and son. But he made quick work of the time off feet nonetheless, and three minutes later he was back at it, seven minutes before Pazos appeared.

While D’Haene arrived just 10 minutes later, he did so in tears, holding the hand of his youngest son. After a considerable amount of time sitting in the aid station, surrounded by his family and crew, he called it quits. The lingering effects of an illness from just 10 days before proved too much to overcome as the hardest miles of the race loomed ahead.

While D’Haene pondered his fate, Dauwalter blitzed into Animas Forks in 13:26 with that same look of determination, 16 minutes ahead of course-record pace. She briefly stopped to prepare for the impending night, picking up her good friend and pacer Mike Ambrose to leave the aid station in fourth overall. Bruyas maintained her second place position 30 minutes back, with Hartmuth in third about 20 minutes behind her.

Pommeret Extends His Lead

Pommeret continued charging ahead solo, increasing his lead over Schlarb and Pazos by more than two hours late in the race. When Pommeret passed through the 80.8-mile Pole Creek aid station at 10:44 P.M., it shocked the small group of race officials, media, and fans watching the online tracker from the race headquarters in Silverton. Based on that split, it was originally calculated that Pommeret could arrive as early as 2:34 A.M.—which would have been a finishing time of 20:34—but he didn’t run the final 20 miles quite as fast as Jornet did in 2022.

Behind him, Pazos caught Schlarb to take over second place before Pole Creek and increased the gap to four minutes by the Cunningham aid station (mile 91.2). Pazos would outlast Schlarb and finish second in 24:39:33, while Schlarb took third in 24:48:16. Schlarb, who tied for the win with Jornet in the 2016 Hardrock 100, pulled out a mini American flag out of his trail running vest after kissing the rock.

Pommeret, who develops training software for air traffic controls in Geneva, Switzerland, didn’t break into ultra-trail running until 2009 when he was 34 years old. He was third in UTMB that year—behind a 20-year-old Jornet, who won for the second straight year—the first of seven top-five finishes in the marquee race in Chamonix. (He was third in 2017 and 2019, fourth in 2021, and fifth in 2023.) He also won the 90-mile TDS race during UTMB week in 2022, and the 170-kilometer Diagonale des Fous race (Grand Raid La Reunion) on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean in 2021 and placed sixth in his first attempt at the Western States 100 in California in 2022.

Last year, Pommeret placed 13th overall in the Western States 100 and nine weeks later finished fifth at UTMB behind Jim Walmsley, Miller, Germain Grangier, and Mathieu Blanchard.

“We know Ludo is a beast, but to be a beast for so long is so impressive,” Miller said. “He’s 49, which by all means is a capable age in this endurance world. But I think anytime someone 49 does something like that, it’s gonna turn some heads because that would’ve been a really good performance for anyone. To have the track record he’s had—winning Diagonale des Fous, UTMB and Hardrock, that’s pretty impressive.”

Dauwalter’s Final Race Against the Clock

By the time Dauwalter was pushing her way up the lower approach to 14,058-foot Handies Peak, she had a smile on her face and engaged in playful conversation with media and spectators on the course. She had good reason to smile: she was feeling good and she had increased her 10-minute lead at Ouray to more than 60 minutes. After cresting Handies before sunset, Dauwalter went through the Burrows aid station (mile 67.9) in less than a minute, while Bruyas, who reached the summit in near darkness, came in an hour later and spent four minutes refueling before heading out again.

Three hours after Pommeret had passed through the Pole Creek aid station (mile 80.8), Dauwalter arrived at 1:54 A.M., still in fourth place overall about 50 minutes behind Pazos and Schlarb. She took a little more time there, but was back on her feet in four minutes and running strong again and still on record pace. Bruyas walked in to Pole Creek at 3:08 A.M. in sixth overall, but the gap behind Dauwalter continued to widen. Hartmuth arrived about 25 minutes later, over three hours ahead of Yitka Winn in fourth.

Dauwalter was in and out of the Maggie aid station (mile 85.1) in two minutes and blazed through the Cunningham aid station (mile 91.2) even faster. The race seemed to be in hand at that point with Bruyas more than 90 minutes behind (in fact, someone updated the Hardrock 100 Wikipedia page and declared her the winner not long after Pommeret finished), it was just a matter of how fast she could close the loop.

“I left Ouray quickly because I finally was feeling like my body was running OK,” Dauwalter said. “The whole morning getting to Ouray, none of my systems felt like they were working together. It was a real effort to run. And so when I got to Ouray, things had started clicking and so I just wanted to turn and get out of there and keep the momentum going. So I guess later I was probably smiling more because it’s more fun to run when everything’s working better. But it was really hard. The whole day was really, really hard.”

Courtney Dauwalter, Ludovic Pommeret Win Hardrock 100 in Course-Record Times

Pommeret Takes Down Kilian Jornet’s Record

A Historic Day

A Blazing Start

It’s a Race!

Pommeret Extends His Lead

Dauwalter’s Final Race Against the Clock

Women’s Results

Men’s Results