Congratulations to all of you chosen for the 2017 Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run! This article breaks down the results of today’s lottery for the run’s 2017 edition.
First, we begin with a few statistics and background information. This year’s lottery entrants list was up to 1,966 applicants. For perspective, the lottery for the 2016 edition had 1,549 entrants, and the previous year was 1,367 applicants. These 1,966 entrants were represented by 8,490 total tickets which went into today’s lottery ‘buckets.’
Prior to the lottery, the run administration placed all of the lottery applicants into one of three divisions based upon their previous experience (or not) with Hardrock and separate lotteries took place within each of the divisions. The divisions are ‘Veterans,’ runners who’ve finished Hardrock more than five times; ‘Nevers,’ which are runners who’ve never finished Hardrock; and ‘Everyone Else,’ runners who’ve completed the event between one and four times. For the 2017 lottery, there were 43 Veteran applicants who had 404 tickets, 1,722 Never applicants with 7,339 tickets, and 201 Everyone Else applicants with 747 tickets.
The 2017 edition will feature 145 starters, a decrease from 152 starters from 2016. This change was announced by the event organization in late August to address adverse impacts on the event’s quality and management as a result of 152 entrants, their pacers and crew, and those who attend in person. As a result of the change in field size, there was a change in the number of entrants selected from each division. Today, the event organization selected 33 Veterans, 45 Nevers, and 67 Everyone Elses. For perspective, the 2016 edition contained 35 Veterans, 47 Nevers, and 70 Everyone Elses. Run Director Dale Garland privately chose five of the entrants, ‘Dale’s Picks,’ and the balance of the entrants were chosen from the lottery ‘buckets.’
The 2016 event represented a decrease from the past in terms of the number of runners who got into the event off the three separate devision-specific waitlists. For the 2016 edition, the waitlists eventually yielded entrants spots only 4 deep in the Veterans division, 4 deep in the Nevers division, and 7 deep in the Everyone Else division. For the 2015 edition, the waitlist went to 8 deep for the Veterans (which included all of the Veterans on the waitlist that year), 9 deep for Nevers, and 12 deep for Everyone Else.
Even though this event is called a run and not a race, the front end continues to grow in competitive nature while still seeming to maintain the cooperative family spirit which Hardrock prides itself upon. Below we document the men and women who were selected in the lottery today who we think will be the main 2017 contenders. We also mention who is on a waitlist and might get in and who is on a waitlist so far down they probably won’t get in.
Let’s start with the men’s competition. Kilian Jornet and Jason Schlarb tied for the win in the 2016 run, and they’ve both chosen to use their automatic entries for the 2017 edition. So there’s that. Additionally, Zach Miller, who has been absolutely on fire over the last several years, will add an interesting mix up front. Iker Karrera will return for another go on this course that suits his talents, and Adam Campbell will be coming back from a recent near-fatal climbing accident after two podium finishes in 2014 and 2015. You can never count out a guy like Mike Foote who was runner up to Jornet in 2015 and does well on this brutal course.
As usual with Hardrock, there are several very competitive veterans including Scott Jaime, Karl Meltzer, and Joe Grant. Chris Price always seems dialed in at Hardrock and he will be looking to improve on his two fourth place finishes.
When all was said and done in the women’s 2016 race, champion Anna Frost said she was sure she’d return to the 2017 race, but that she was unsure if that meant as a competitor or as a volunteer. It looks like she’s chosen to be a competitor. While it is hard to imagine anyone challenging Frost after last year’s victory, there is some amazing competition on the women’s side this year. One runner that could pull the upset is Darcy Piceu, a three-time winner at Hardrock. Piceu and Frost leap-frogged during a very competitive 2015 Hardrock, and we’ve all been waiting for the rematch. Both of these runners will be pushed hard by 2015 UTMB champ Nathalie Mauclair who seems to excel in any terrain. Throw in Caroline Chaverot, who is on fire in the trail-ultrarunning scene and who is coming off a 2016 UTMB victory, and you have the most competitive field in history up front for the women’s Hardrock title.
Third- and fourth-place finishers Bethany Lewis and Darla Askew will be returning after big days at last year’s Hardrock, and Rachel Bucklin will be trying to best her seventh-place 2016 finish. You can never count out the indefatigable Betsy Kalmeyer, who will be seeking her 18th finish and who was second as recent as 2014, and Betsy Nye who has been on the podium 11(!) times at Hardrock and who was sixth this year.
Here is the full list of who was chosen in the lottery, and on the various waitlists.
Let’s get on with the full lists of who is in, who may be, and who is definitely not.
Automatic Entrants
There is only one way to gain auto entry into Hardrock, and that is by winning the prior year’s race. Kilian Jornet, Jason Schlarb, and Anna Frost have all chosen to use those entries.
Notable Men’s 2017 Hardrock 100 Entrants
Here are the notable men who gained entrance via today’s lottery.
- James Bonnett — 9th at 2015 JFK 50 Mile, 3rd at 2016 Mogollon Monster
- Adam Campbell — 3rd at 2014 and 2015 Hardrock 100
- Nick Coury — 11 in both 2015 and 2016 Hardrock
- Mike Foote — 3rd at 2012 UTMB, 2nd at 2015 Hardrock
- Joe Grant –6th at 2011 Hardrock, 2nd at 2012 Hardrock
- Grant Guise –16th at 2013 UTMF, 10th at 2016 Hardrock
- Adam Hewey — 14th at 2015 Hardrock, 4th at 2016 Fat Dog 120
- Scott Jaime –3rd at 2013 Hardrock, 5th at 2014 Hardrock, 13th at 2016 Hardrock
- Iker Karrera — Winner of 2013 Tor des Geants, 2nd at 2014 UTMB, 9th at 2015 Hardrock
- Zach Miller — Winner of 2015 CCC, 6th at 2016 UTMB, winner of 2016 TNF 50
- Karl Meltzer — Winner of 2009 Hardrock, 7th at 2012 Hardrock, winner of 2012 RRR100
- Jeason Murphy — 16th at 2014 Hardrock, 19th at 2015 Hardrock
- Chris Price — 4th at 2013 and 2015 Hardrock
- James Varner — 25th at 2015 Hardrock, 4-time finisher
- Rob Youngren — 10th at 2008 Hardrock, 5-time finisher
- Mike Wardian — Winner 2015 Eastern States 100, 4th at 2016 San Diego 100, 4th at 2016 JFK 50
Notable Women’s 2017 Hardrock 100 Entrants
Here are the women who gained entrance via today’s lottery.
- Darla Askew –3rd at 2015 Hardrock, 4th at 2016 Hardrock, 2016 IMTUF winner
- Rachel Bucklin –2nd at 2015 Rio Del Lago 100, 7th at 2016 Hardrock
- Caroline Chaverot — Winner of 2016 UTMB, winner of 2016 IAU Trail World Champs
- Hannah Green — Winner 2015 San Juan Solstice 50 Mile, 3rd 2016 Wasatch Front 100
- Katie Grossman — 4th at 2015 Angeles Crest 100, 4th at 2016 Georgia Death Race
- Bethany Lewis — Winner of 2015 Fat Dog 120, 3rd at 2016 Hardrock
- Nathalie Mauclair — Winner 2014 Grand Raid La Reunion, winner of 2015 UTMB
- Betsy Nye –9th at 2015 Hardrock, 6th at 2016 Hardrock, 11 times on the podium at Hardrock
- Darcy Piceu — Three0time Hardrock champion, winner of 2016 Wasatch Front 100
Notable Waitlisted Men with at Least a Remote Chance of Getting In
Here are the front-end men’s contenders who were chosen in the top-10 slots of the Veterans waitlist, the top-15 slots of the Nevers waitlist, or the top-20 slots of the Everyone Else waitlist. These men have some shot of getting off their respective waitlists and into the run.
- Jamil Coury — #1 on Else waitlist
- Ted Mahon — #8 on Veterans waitlist
- Nick Pedatella — #5 on Else waitlist
- Jason Poole — #14 on Else waitlist
- Bryon Powell — #16 on Else waitlist
- Tim Tollefsen — #2 on Never waitlist
Notable Waitlisted Women with at Least a Remote Chance of Getting In
Here are the female contenders who were chosen in either the top-10 slots of the Veterans waitlist, the top-15 slots of the Nevers waitlist, or the top-20 slots of the Everyone Else waitlist. These women have some shot of running.
- Missy Gosney — #19 on Else waitlist
- Debbie Livingston — #7 on Never waitlist
- Shawn McTaggart — #33 on Never waitlist
Notable Waitlisted Men with Pretty Much No Chance of Getting In
Here are some fast men who are so far down their respective waitlist that there is almost no chance of them getting in.
- Julien Chorier — #49 on Else waitlist
- Matt Hart — #23 on Else waitlist
- Mick Jurynec — #45 on Else waitlist
- Ryan Kaiser — #30 on Else waitlist
- Timothy Olson — #35 on Else waitlist
Notable Waitlisted Women with Pretty Much No Chance of Getting In
Here are some fast women who are so far down their respective waitlist that there is almost no chance of them getting in.
- Tia Gabalita — #16 on Never waitlist
- Pam Reed — #41 on Else waitlist
- Jenn Shelton — #19 on Never waitlist
Call for Comments
- Who are you most excited about running the 2017 Hardrock 100?
- Who are your picks as favorites? Did we miss anyone who should be on these lists?
- If you’re in, how excited are you to be racing Hardrock next year?
