- Kilian Jornet and Courtney Dauwalter both set new course records at the Hardrock 100 ultra in Colorado this weekend.
- Jornet has won the race five times, while this was Dauwalter’s first time finishing the ultra.
History was made during this year’s Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run when Kilian Jornet and Courtney Dauwalter set new course records on the clockwise course, finishing in 21:36:24 and 26:44:36, respectively. Dauwalter finished sixth overall in the field.
They shattered the previous records held by Francois D’Haene (21:45:50, 2021) and Diana Finkel (27:18:24, 2009).
Other top finishers included D’Haene, who finished second in 21:51:19, and Dakota Jones in third with a time of 23:06:17. In the women’s field, Stephanie Case was second (33:52:40) and Hannah Green was third (34:26:39) )
Jornet, 34, and Dauwalter, 37, were favorites going into the race weekend, which kicked off on July 15. Both are considered by many to be the best in their sport—Jornet has won Hardrock four times before this weekend—so new course records were a real possibility.
This year was the first race appearance since 2017 for Jornet, who won the race even after dislocating his shoulder at the 40-mile mark.
In an Instagram post beforehand Jornet said, “If the race is attractive because its beautiful landscapes and the hardness of the challenge (high elevation, several times above 4000m, the route often on steep narrow trails) what makes one wanting to come back [is] its community. The volunteers, the crewing and pacers, the people doing trail work, and the runners celebrating together the love for trail running and this mountains.”
Similar to Jornet, Dauwalter is no stranger to winning and setting course records in tough races like the Moab 240 Endurance Run and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
But despite the American ultramarathoner’s impressive running resume, she had not yet achieved a Hardrock 100 finish. During the 2021 race, after experiencing nutrition issues and stomach problems, Dauwalter dropped at mile 62.
In an interview before this year’s race with iRunFar, Dauwalter said she spent the last year practicing different nutrition techniques and found success in relying on liquid calories for sustained energy.
Hardrock, which includes more than 66,000 feet of elevation change through Southern Colorado’s San Juan Range, was the sole focus of her summer.
Going into this year’s race, she told iRunFar that she had one goal: “I hope to kiss that dang rock.”
In lieu of a traditional finish line, race finishers famously “kiss the Hardrock.” The rock features an image of a ram’s head and is made from stone mining debris, an homage to the race, which starts and ends in the mining town of Silverton, Colorado.
After the race, Jornet and Dauwalter both posted pictures celebrating their victories by embracing and kissing the Hardrock.
Stephanie is a freelance writer and running enthusiast based out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who specializes in writing about health and fitness best practices and covering elite runners and inspirational competitors for publications such as Runner's World, The Guardian, Women’s Running, PodiumRunner, Wingfoot and Competitor Magazines. When she's not writing, you can find her running the trails with her two Vizslas or traveling with her husband to races around the world, constantly on the quest for a personal best
