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 Is the "tough" part of the slogan meant to describe the lottery? The lottery for the 2012 Hardrock 100 was on Sunday, and I’m thrilled to report that I got in again.
Some say the lottery process is the hardest part of the race. While that’s definitely an exaggeration, if you’re not given a chance to run because you can’t get a number, well then it’s sort of true. This year, there were 658 people vying for 140 slots, so some 79% of applicants didn’t get in. That’s pretty tough odds.
I can’t help but feel kind of lucky, not just for Sunday’s good draw, but for my luck and timing over the past few years.
When the race was first held in 1992, and for the first ten years that followed, it never even filled up. When I arrived to the scene in 2007, there was a waitlist, but if you qualified and applied for entry, your chances of running were pretty reasonable. In the years since then, its popularity surged, but with a bit of lottery luck, I managed to get in and finish every year, with the exception of 2008 when I was waitlisted. (My 2008 number was actually called on race day, and had I been there and ready, I could have run, so I’ve actually made it in every year.) read more>>>
“Remember: Hiking to the river and back in one day is dangerous and never recommended due to limited shade, extreme heat and a near 5,000 foot elevation change!” – from The Guide- Maps and Information for Grand Canyon National Park, issued to visitors upon arrival.
 Christy on the snowy descent from the North Rim. Well they got the elevation part right, at least for the South Rim section of the day. But when we started down the Bright Angel Trail, it wasn’t the extreme heat or a lack of shade that had us concerned. At 5am, in the dark, it was the blowing snow and sub-zero temps that had us questioning if it was a good idea to try for the 47-mile double traverse of the Grand Canyon. read more>>>
 The map and route. We followed it counter-clockwise, but it can be done in either direction. Click to enlarge. There’s snow up high and it’s kind of blustery out. Late fall has arrived to the mountains, it’s time to go to the desert. read more>>>
Saturday’s Bear 100 was about as smooth as it gets for me.
After three consecutive years at Hardrock, and running no other races at the 100 mile distance, I mistakenly came to believe all 100’s are like that massive San Juan suffer-fest. They’re not.
And the early July date of Hardrock, being so close to the spring skiing season which has always taken priority, usually means I’m just barely feeling ready, and it really takes a lot out of me.
So the added training afforded to me by the Bear 100′s late September date, and the relatively flatter course, with 22,000 feet of climbing (compared with 33,000 at Hardrock) and all at a considerably lower average elevation, set me up for a really good day. read more>>>
 The 100 mile course across the Bear Range comes in at about 22,000 feet of gain. Click to enlarge. Time for another long one. The Bear 100 starts at six on Friday morning. read more>>>
 Christy descends to Cooper Lake from East Maroon Pass, through flurrying snow and graupel. Forty-one miles, 9,600 feet of gain, with a high point of 12,900 feet over three passes and four valleys– that counts as a pretty long day in my book. Our friend Tim always tells Christy and I we’re “masters of the long day.” I guess in a relative sense experience does lend itself to smooth adventures, but just because I sum up our big days in 500 words or less doesn’t mean they all go off without a hitch. Besides, I’m not sure you can ever truly master anything out in the mountains, but in Tim’s defense, we do love to try.
So with the Bear 100 two weeks away, we were looking for one last long day on the trail. In search of something new and different, we decided to connect four classic valleys we’ve visited many times before, but never all in one push. Here’s the map of our Snowmass, West Maroon, East Maroon and Conundrum linkup: read more>>>
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