About This Race
The Hardrock 100 stands as one of the most demanding ultramarathons in the world, threading 102.5 miles through Colorado's San Juan Mountains at an average elevation exceeding 11,000 feet. This legendary course requires runners to summit thirteen major passes between 12,000 and 13,000 feet, including the 14,048-foot summit of Handies Peak, accumulating 33,197 feet of both ascent and descent across terrain that tests every dimension of mountain running. The route connects the mining towns of Silverton, Telluride, and Ouray with the ghost town of Sherman, alternating direction each year between clockwise and counterclockwise. Runners navigate a mix of 4WD roads, singletrack trails, and cross-country sections where mountaineering skills prove as critical as endurance. The event culminates not with a traditional finish line crossing, but with runners kissing the Hardrock—a ram's head painted on mining stone debris. Held annually in early July since 1992 (with rare cancellations for snow and fire), this graduate-level challenge attracts runners seeking the intersection of technical mountain terrain, extreme altitude, and wilderness remoteness. The 48-hour cutoff reflects not just the physical demands but the navigation and survival skills required in this unforgiving high-alpine environment.
The loop course begins and ends in Silverton, traversing some of Colorado's most rugged high-alpine terrain via historic mining routes and established trails. Runners face sustained sections above treeline, technical rock scrambles, and river crossings while navigating between remote aid stations scattered across the San Juan wilderness.
Key landmarks include the precipitous descent into Telluride, the challenging Virginius Pass crossing, and the exposed traverse of Handies Peak's summit. The alternating yearly direction adds strategic complexity, as runners must adapt their pacing and nutrition plans to the unique demands of clockwise versus counterclockwise navigation through this unforgiving mountain landscape.
Location
Notable Features
The Hardrock 100 represents the pinnacle of high-altitude mountain running, distinguished by its requirement to summit thirteen major passes above 12,000 feet including Colorado's Handies Peak at 14,048 feet. The unique tradition of 'kissing the Hardrock' rather than crossing a finish line, combined with the alternating yearly direction and the course's integration of historic mining routes through ghost towns, creates an experience that transcends typical ultramarathon competition into the realm of mountain pilgrimage.