Trip Report to Hardrock 100
by Joe Prusaitis

How to get into the race...

  1. You must have a mountain 100 mile as a qualifier Wasatch, Eagle, Bear, Leadville, Angeles Crest, Massanutten, Western States, Plain, HURT, Bighorn, Cascade Crest, or Grand Teton
  2. Once you have the mountain 100 finish, then you just mail in the entry (after Jan 1st) and wait
  3. They draw the lottery the 1st weekend in February (gives you a few weeks to decide). They also maintain a waiting list.

Where the race is and how to arrange your stay...

  1. Silverton CO is where it starts and ends, so thats where you need to stay. Even though it passes thru Ouray, Telluride, and Lake City.
  2. Silverton has many houses for lease as well as motels/hotels. but it does fill up. the days around 4th of July, there is NO room. So, you must reserve the day you get selected... or sooner.
  3. Camping in and around Silverton. There are places to stay and many people do this.
  4. Houses. if you plan to stay for 2 weeks, and know others who are going, this is the best deal. But all the house get leased out pretty fast.
  5. Hotels. Silverton has a good amount and a room can be had. The prices are all over the board. The cheaper it is the less privacy you get.
  6. Hostel: Silverton has one and you can lease a bed or a room, but neither offers much for privacy.

Driving:

  1. Austin to Silverton is about 1000 miles. I leave Austin at 5am and arrive in Silverton by 9pm, same day.
  2. from Austin to Silverton... joe's route
    183 NW out of Austin
    Lampassas, Goldthwaite
    183 becomes 84 in Goldthwaite
    183/84 to Brownwood
    84 W to Santa Anna
    84 NW to Coleman, Abilene
    83/277 NW around the west side of Abilene
    80 W is a feeder road that takes you I-20
    20 W to Swwewater
    20 W to Roscoe where you again pick up 84 NW
    84 W to Snyder, Post, Staton, Lubbock
    84 NW directly thru the middle of Lubbock.
    84 NW to Shallowwater, Littlefield, Muleshoe, Farwell.
    Farwell is on the TX/NM border
    84/60 W to Melrose, Fort Sumner
    84 N in Fort Sumner (easy turn to miss)
    Turn right to stay on 84
    84 N to Santa Rosa (on I-40)
    40 W to Albuquerque
    25 N to Bernalillo
    550 NW to San Ysidro, Cuba, Bloomfield
    To stay on 550, R on 64 and then L again quickly in Bloomfield
    550 to Aztec, then to the NM/CO border
    550 to Durango
    Just before Durango, L on 160 to go into Durango
    550 Thru Durango, Silverton
  3. Mountain driving skills... many people new to the mountains will burn out
    their brakes from all the downhills that last for many miles for
    thousands of feet descent. It helps to just not drive too fast
    and to avoid using the brakes as much as possible. If you don't
    go too fast, and use your gears correctly, then you won't have
    to brake that often. Even if you take a renter, you still might
    need those brakes. Be careful. Highway 550 is called the Million
    Dollar Highway. It is very scenic and has NO guardrails. The edge
    of the road is usually a 1000 foot drop off a cliff. There are no
    shoulders in places, so you have to pay attention. This road connects
    Silverton to Ouray and Montrose to the north, Durango and Albuquerque
    to the south. Take a driver with so you can look at the gorgeous
    scenery. All the driver sees is the road, or the edge of it.

Flying:

  1. Durango is 50 miles away and you can get a flight there. But anywhere to Durango is expensive.
  2. Albuquerque is a few hours away and thats where I fly into when I must fly. There are NO mountains to drive thru until you pass Durango.
  3. Denver is not as far but much longer to drive. There a plenty of mountains
    which you need to drive around.

Hot to start HR correctly: (before you even begin to run)

  1. Train like a madman on as much climb and descent as possible (do not forget downhill training)
  2. Get to 10000 ft as soon as possible (I suggest 2 weeks for most humans). Silverton is at 10000 ft.
  3. Make frequent trips up to 13000 ft or higher as soon as you get in. Course marking takes place over a 13er at least once a day
  4. Course marking... this gets you acclimated, helps you learn the course, and meet many others doing the same thing as you. Its a great place and time to bond. This has become our summer camp, marking and hanging with your new and old friends. We see the course and learn great places to see in the surrounding towns. Some of the trips include Ouray and Telluride, hot springs and great restaurants. It covers everything you need and adds a bit of fun along with it.

What other activities with the race...

  1. 4th of July parade... HR runners march in the parade every year.
  2. Pre-race gatherings for pot-luck, race briefings (long & short).
  3. Course marking starts 2 weeks prior on a Saturday and becomes a daily event.

The Run:

  1. You will get wet and you will stay wet. It's either snow, or snowmelt streams, or rain. Plan on it. This is why I wear Injinji socks.
  2. The major stations are the 4 towns we pass thru or near. Silverton to start and finish. Ouray is always about halfway, regardless the direction. Telluride and Lake City swap turns each year as 1st and last major station.
  3. The other major station is Grouse Gulch. Why? Because its just before or just after Handies (the 14er).
  4. Bear Creek: there are 3 of them, one near each town. Don't let this confuse you and we go up or down all 3 of them.

Psychological Profile:

  1. I get pretty buzzed up as I drove up to Silverton (mind that I am sitting down)
  2. When I climb out of my car in Silverton, I can barely breath or walk to the curb. This destoys my psych. How can I climb 1 of these mtns when I cant climb the curb.
  3. I get up the next morning and hike up the first section we mark. It usually goes ok but very slow. Sometimes the headaches start soon after I get back in town. I eat, take some advil and go right to bed by 8pm or sooner.
  4. The next 3 dats repeat and i feel stronger but still not great.
  5. I take a day or two off after the initial set of days marking
  6. I mark a few more days, and my energy is really odd. Real strong for a bit, then real weak.
  7. Around about 7 or 8 days, I completely jell out. I can't move a thing, I don't want to move. I don't hurt. I just don't have any energy... ALL day long. We usually use these days for laundry and/or shopping in Durango.
  8. At 10 days, I wake up feeling awesome. I have made the metamorphisis. I feel great. This usually coincides with all the race activities, packet pickup, briefing, and so on. Although many of us have been here for 10 days or longer, many more roll into town about now. And they look scared! Don't laugh. That was you just 10 days ago. Thankfully, you have been here for a bit.
  9. On race morning, you now know much of the course, you are as acclimated as you can get in 2 weeks (which aint too bad), and you know a lot of these people you will be running with and seeing for the next 2 days. You are more comfortable than you were 2 weeks ago.
  10. I try so very hard to go out slow. even though I am acclimated, I'll still squash myself if I give it up early on.
  11. Half way up the 1st mountain, I can't breathe. My energy is gone. I wonder how I'm gonna do this over and over again for 2 days.
  12. I descend rapidly and feel great at the 1st station
  13. The 2nd climb goes much like the 1st.
  14. Slowly the ascents become more comfortable while the descents always remain the same. I blast every descent and the climbs slowly get stronger and better. By Ouray, I have forgotten that I am worried about it.
  15. The 2nd day brings new life and for some reason it starts much better than the 1st. I usually do very well (in my mind) on the 2nd day, but in reality, I think I'm running about the same.
  16. I hear numerous times how I'm behind the cutoff, and yet I always seem to do ok. Some of the new runners get talked into dropping, thinking they have run out of time.
  17. Some years, I get a good push to try and finish under 40 hours and avoid the 2nd night. But it has never happened. I always go into the 2nd night. And the 2nd night always seems to have worse weather, gets colder, the streams get deeper, and everybody gets lost. Somehow, I manage to have a great finish. Regardless of direction, its a long downhill finish.
  18. And I always feel like crying when I finish. Maybe thats why I always finish in the dark.

Finish:

  1. You kiss the rock and you are done.
  2. The awards ceremony is always fun and emotional for so many people.
  3. I alway stay another night before we head home. I missed most of 2 nights sleep and so did my pacers, so we need to rest so we can drive anywhere without killing ourselves. Remember the highway cliffs with no guardrails.
  4. I always reserve a house for next year before I leave. Because I will be back and it will be sold out again.

Links:

race site :
www.run100s.com/HR

Silverton info
www.silvertoncolorado.com