Ludovic Pommeret of France has already done two laps around the Hardrock 100 course during his training for the event this year. In the following interview, Ludovic talks about his course scouting missions, his hope for a beautiful sunset from Handies Peak during the race, his appreciation for the remoteness of the area trails, his pacing and crew, and how age matters less in longer races than short ones.
For more on who’s racing, check out our in-depth 2024 Hardrock 100 preview and follow our live race coverage on race day.
Ludovic Pommeret Pre-2024 Hardrock 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Ludo Pommeret. It’s a couple days before the 2024 Hardrock 100. Ludo, hi, how are you?
Ludovic Pommeret: I’m not so bad now. We are waiting for the race.
iRunFar: I feel like you are a Silverton local. You have been here for many weeks. I have seen you many times. You are just adapted to all things Silverton and Hardrock.
Pommeret: I hope so.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Pommeret: The last Softrock I did twice, but the last one was a bit easier than the first one. I hope, of course, it’s different than Hardrock, but yeah. I think for acclimatization, you say?
iRunFar: So good. [laughs]
Pommeret: It should be okay, but we’ll see. It’s not the same to do in four stages than doing one.
iRunFar: Yeah, so to back up a little bit, you got here maybe three or three and a half weeks ago?
Pommeret: I arrived on the 14th of June.
iRunFar: Okay. And you went directly to doing a Softrock, where you backpacked the Hardrock course in four days. You carried all your camping gear.
Pommeret: Yes, tent, mattress, everything, yeah.
iRunFar: And then you rested for a few days, and you did another Softrock with Camille Bruyas and Marianne Hogan. Four days again, but this time mostly running with a little pack?
Pommeret: Yeah, with the trail backpack only, so a bit lighter.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Pommeret: It’s different, but it’s good to have done it twice. And yeah, the first one, there was much more snow, so it changed, I think, every week.
iRunFar: Interesting that you got to see the Hardrock course sort of coming from spring to summer to race conditions.
Pommeret: Yeah, I remember the Island Lake, I think, was still with snow when I did the first time, and without with the ladies.
iRunFar: Amazing. You have done many of the big races. Diagonale des Fous, UTMB.
Pommeret: You say I’m old? [laughs]
iRunFar: What I mean to say is you’ve done the races that attract the most fans, the most competition, the most people following the race. But now you choose Hardrock, which is one of the iconic 100 milers, but also notorious for being quieter, and calm, and just different. What made you choose this race?
Pommeret: You know, it’s also well known, this race. And even if the people don’t know that there’s only 130 person that take the start, but if you talk to someone in France, at least in France, they know about Western States. They know about Hardrock.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Pommeret: That’s the two main races that they know in U.S. So, yeah, maybe it’s a small race because there’s few people racing, but it’s quite well known. And yeah, it’s good to see when you heard about it, to see by yourself.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Pommeret: So, I have seen last year as a pacer. So that’s what gave me, several years I attend the lottery.
iRunFar: Now you’re in.
Pommeret: Yeah, I hope. Several days remaining.
iRunFar: Cross everything. [crosses fingers]
Pommeret: Not everything is green, but not red, so that’s good.
iRunFar: Right, okay. For me, it was very interesting to watch you here last year, because you came to Hardrock for the first time last year as a pacer for the men’s winner, Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz.
Pommeret: Yeah.
iRunFar: And for me, watching you be here, it looked like you were like a kid in a candy store or a toy store. You just looked like you had so much fun. It looked like it was natural for you to be here at Hardrock.
Pommeret: Yeah, but you have a so nice playground. Of course, I focus on the race, on the trail, on the race, but I have done also the Redcloud and Sunshine 14ers. I have, I don’t know how to say, Uncompaghre. Uncompaghre 14ers, where I get stormed there, so it was nice.
iRunFar: Okay.
Pommeret: And there’s a lot of, yeah, not ideal, but that was the rest yesterday, Kendall Mountain. My idea was to go in the south in from Needleton. I saw that you can do four 14ers in one row.
iRunFar: Are you going to do that next?
Pommeret: No, I wanted to do it.
iRunFar: Next time.
Pommeret: Yeah, next time. I wanted to do it this weekend and hiking with the crew, but some were at the race, so we didn’t do it. But there’s so many, yeah, trails to do here, so I think you can stay a long time to enjoy the mountains, to enjoy everything.
iRunFar: Ludo, I think that means you’ll have to come back.
Pommeret: Yeah, maybe, but yeah. For instance, my pacer, Arthur, is expecting to have a bib one day, and if I’m not too old, maybe I will pace him, so I will be back if it’s not in 10 years.
iRunFar: I think it seems like age is not a thing for you.
Pommeret: [laughs]
iRunFar: It just doesn’t seem like a thing. Your condition seems to stay the same. Does it not feel like that for you?
Pommeret: Not exactly.
iRunFar: Okay.
Pommeret: But maybe there’s less difference if you are doing a long distance. I mean, 100 miles for me, it’s already a long distance. [laughs] S maybe the difference is less important than on short distance. On short distance, now it’s really difficult to be competitive, and in long distance, there’s more parameters that come in the game. But no, I don’t think that I’m, it has no impact, it has for sure. Also for some pain that remain or stay longer than in the past, but that’s okay. I’m still taking some pleasure to race, to be in this kind of landscape.
iRunFar: You said a minute ago that for Friday, the race, there were some green lights and some red lights. What are the green lights and the red lights?
Pommeret: Not red, but orange. [laughs]
iRunFar: Okay, not red, orange. Caution, yeah. What are the greens and what are the cautions for you?
Pommeret: Green, I feel good, and I think I know the race. I know that it will not be easy, so that’s my green part. I have my crew. Not everything is planned, but it will come.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Pommeret: I don’t want to do it too much in advance. Keep the pressure for the latest one.
iRunFar: Yes, yes.
Pommeret: And yeah, orange, I have some pain at one knee.
iRunFar: Okay.
Pommeret: Yeah, some small at the back, but not red.
iRunFar: Not red.
Pommeret: It’s good. You know, when you are almost 50, when you have no pain, maybe you are dead. [laughs] I don’t know. So you can run with some pain.
iRunFar: It’s a sign of being alive. [laughs]
Pommeret: Yeah, it’s a way to, I told my wife, you know, when you have cramps, oh, okay, it, how you say, I don’t know how to say in English, it shows that you are alive.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Pommeret: And it’s, I don’t know how to say, it kept you, it’s like a friend, you know, because you are not alone. You are with your pain.
iRunFar: You have your friend with the pain. [laughs] My last question for you, you’ve seen the Hardrock course twice already. You’ll see it again on Friday and Saturday. What are the parts that you’re really looking forward to?
Pommeret: Looking forward, you mean the impression to be there?
iRunFar: Yeah.
Pommeret: Or scared, because there’s,
iRunFar: Oh, okay. What scares you then?
Pommeret: No, no, I think the last uphill.
iRunFar: It’s very steep.
Pommeret: Yeah, it’s very steep and it’s at the end. You have spent a lot of time at quite high elevation before, at the Pole Creek, between Sherman and Maggie’s, even in Cunningham. So this, I know that it will be hard. But I hope also to have a good weather. And if we are lucky, that we can have sunset at these peaks. Like last year, we had the sunset at Kroger’s Canteen. That was some really beautiful moments. So, let’s see if we are lucky. First, if I am on time. [laughs] And second, that the weather is okay.
iRunFar: Yeah. Well, best of luck to you.
Pommeret: Thank you.
iRunFar: On your third lap around the Hardrock course, but your first time racing.
Pommeret: Yeah, yeah. Hope to be a Hardrocker and not Softrocker.
iRunFar: You will be a Hardrocker shortly.
Pommeret: I hope so.
