Repainting the Hard Rock
Runner check in
Allie Wood
Daughter Margaret. She paced me 21 miles in from Chapman.
Kris Kern
Beth Simpson
RD Dale Garland at the runner's briefing
Matt Mahoney
Past winner Rick Trujillo
Jim Ballard
RD Dale Garland
Walking to the start in pre-dawn Silverton
My crew, mostly former high school runners of mine. There's a lot of running talent in this picture - several state track and XC champions and state record holders, several All-American college runners, and a sub-4 minute miler. And every one of them, fast or not, is a terrific young man or woman.
My daughters and pacers, Heather and Margaret. Don't worry, no one else can tell them apart either.
Lance Johnson and his crew - another terrific group!
Daugher Margaret and Megan Stockton. I'd run a thousand miles for those smiles.
Kelly and Scott Eppelman
Larry Hall and Beth Simpson
Now 10-time finisher Tyler Curiel
One of the highlights of every Hardrock is getting to hang around with Tyler.
Lined up for the start. Dale is standing on the rock, ready to send us off.
Joe Clapper sprints to an early (and short-lived) lead.
Scott Brockmeier, Scott Jaime, Andy Jones-Wilkins, Karl Meltzer, and me. And that's the last I saw of Karl, Scott, or Andy.
Chris Labbe
Dick Curtis
Lance Johnson
Jean Francois Geiss
On top of Little Giant-Dives
The descent to Cunningham Gulch aid station
The aid station comes into view
Can you believe it?! TWO flat tires in the Cunningham aid station! And that's after getting one flat and a blown radiator hose there last year! My wife and crew head, Rebecca Clark, does hardship duty.
My crew, self-entertaining.
The Cunningham Gulch aid station
Scott Jaime
Karl Meltzer gives chase to Scott
Helen Cospolich
Aaron Denberg
Tyler Curiel enters the aid station
Past winner Betsy Nye
Past winner Betsy Kalmeyer
Everyone lends a hand. Tom Stockton gets help with his sunscreen.
"You're looking great, Tom!"
Past winner and (now) 15-time finisher Kirk Apt.
Rhonda Sundermeier
Past winner me!
That's the climb we just came down from Little Giant-Dives to Cunningham. You can only see the bottom third from the aid station.
Bob Combs
Honey Albrecht
Jeff Heasley
The Maggie Gulch aid station
Murray Schart
Pole Creek. The aid station is just out of sight to the left.
The Pole Creek aid station
Me, Billy Simpson, and Murray Schart
Billy Simpson on the Continental Divide
Fourteener Sunshine Peak in the background
The Sherman aid station. These folk were incredible! Each runner was assigned his own personal handler, who spread out the runner's drop bag, and was available to get anything the runner wanted. I was very impressed!
A break in the intermittent rain on the climb up Handies Peak (in the background)
Fourteeners Redcloud and Sunshine from high on Handies.
Kim Holak
Fourteeners Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre from Handies.
The final pitch on Handies
Billy Simpson and me atop Handies. I had a lot of fun hanging out and running with Billy!
Looking down into Boulder Gulch. The course used to go down the ridge to the left or into this basin. In the distance are the mountains we've already traversed.
Descending into American Basin. American-Grouse Pass on the right.
Beat Jegerlehner
Howie Stern. He was very disappointed not to get in from high on the wait list, but turned out anyway to help.
The Grouse Gulch aid station
Bill Geist
My crew
Betsy Nye's sister's family
The Grouse Gulch aid station was run by the Pajarito Mountain Ski Patrol, from Los Alamos, NM, hence the New Mexico flag.
Greeting Billy Simpson as he's heading back out.
Hydropel for the feet. So far, so good!
Pacer Ryan McNiff. He's a fast one - 3:52 1500 m at 8000' elevation this spring, which converts to a sub-4 minute mile!
Dennis Drey
Leaving the Grouse Gulch aid station behind.
The ghost town of Animas Forks
Fourteener Sneffels from Engineer Pass. We'll be running at the base of it in a few hours time....
The final pitch on Virginius Pass. The snow was very hard and treacherous at 5 am!
Daughter and pacer Heather at Kroger's Canteen atop Virginius Pass. She's a fast one too - 4th individually at NCAA D2 XC Nationals in the fall, and 3rd in the 10000 at the NCAA D2 Track Nationals this spring.
The Wilson Group (three fourteeners) from Mendota Summit.
Sunrise on the Wilson Group
The Telluride aid station is in the field below.
I've been doing Hardrock a long time... when did I get so gray?
Heather and Ryan
I struggled from Telluride to Oscar Pass, but at least I had good company.
Heather in upper Wasatch Basin
At the top of Oscar Pass, looking back toward Wasatch Summit.
From Oscar Pass, the Ophir Pass road below.
Brian Kent
Grant-Swamp Pass from Oscar Pass
The Chapman aid station can be seen in the meadow at the lower right. This shows the whole, 2700' climb to Grant-Swamp Pass.
The town of Ophir from Oscar Pass, the Wilson Group in the background.
Daughter and pacer Margaret just outside the Chapman aid station. Margaret is running XC and track at Colorado State University.
The final pitch on Grant-Swamp Pass
Quite a scramble!
Oscar Pass from Grant-Swamp Pass
The Joel Zucker Memorial on Grant-Swamp Pass
Island Lake. Someday I'll swim out to the island....
Crossing Ice Creek with Randy Isler
On the Kamm Traverse
The KT aid station
On Putnam Divide, the Needle Range in the background. Bob Combs was knocked off his feet by a lightning strike here later that night, but still finished.
Looking down into Putnam Basin. The Putnam aid station is in the trees right of center.
Mohammed Idlibi
Sprinting for the finish!
Tyler had a great run! Doesn't he look fresh?
My pacers: Ryan, Heather, and Margaret
Paul Ralyea
Fellow Los Alamosian Kris Kern
Hanging around after with Mohammed's pacer Matt Kirk
Kirk Apt and Garry Curry
Andrea Feucht and her finish line aid station
Dale catches a few zzz's between runners finishing
Don Platt
Kerry Collings
Tom Schnitzius
Patty Bryant
Pat Homelvig
Andrew Barney
Andrew with Cory Johnson, who unfortunately came up lame on the descent from Oscar Pass.
Waiting for the final few finishers.... Will they make it??
Wendell Doman, with 20 minutes to spare.
John DeWalt, with 13 mintues to spare. Words fail me....
Rick Pearcy strolled in with 11 minutes to spare.
Jennifer Roach (paced by Jerry), with 5 minutes to spare.
Leonard Martin, with 4 minutes to spare. Leonard has run Hardrock many, many times, but this is the first time he's finished. I was probably happier for him than for any other runner!
Our last finisher, past two-time winner Margaret Heaphy, with 3 minutes to spare. Margaret had an amazing run in from Putnam. She made it in nearly the same time I did, and I was hammering it. And she did it alone and in the dark on her second night out! That is one tough lady....
The "graduation ceremony", with aid station coordinator Lois MacKenzie and Dale.
Larry Hall
Leonard Martin
Jim Lewin - one of our longtime comm workers. Last Thanksgiving, Jim was struck and dragged by a car after pushing his granddaughter out of harm's way, and nearly died. He's been in rehab every since. It is really good to have him back!
Shauna Blaylock - comm staff
Mike Burke on the right
Past winners of the Mother Lode award, preparing to bestow this year's award on...
... Steve Blaylock, who works tirelessly on our amazing ham radio network.
Rick Pearcy
John DeWalt - now 14 for 14 at Hardrock
Duane Nelson
Frank Banton
Michelle Schwartz
Mike Bur
Jim Campiformio
Mike Dobies
Andy Hewat
Diane Van Deren
Roch Horton and the "Silvertones"
Randy Isler
Scott Olmer
Julian Jamison
Joe Clapper
Roger Wrublik
Rhonda Claridge
Garry Curry
Patrick Fellay
Allen Hadley
Scott Brockmeier
Howard Cohen
Betsy Kalmeyer
Steve Roark
Brett Gosney
Bruce Grant
Dave Coblentz
Joe Lea
Michael MCarthy
Mike Erlich
Jamil Coury
Philippe Verdier
Ted Mahon
Aaron Denberg - 10th place
Ricky Denesik - 9th place
Roch Horton - 8th place
Sam Thompson - 7th place
Jared Campbell - 6th place
Andy Jones-Wilkins - 5th place
Scott Jaime - 4th place
Troy Howard - 2nd place
Diana Finkel - first woman, in a time that smashed the old women's course record.
Karl Meltzer - overall winner in a course record time for the CCW direction.
Rick Hodges - a five-time finisher
Billy Simpson - a five-time finisher
Margaret Heaphy - a five-time finisher
Kerry Collings - a five-time finisher
Jared Campbell - a five-time finisher
Roger Wrublik - a five-time finisher
Don Platt - a five-time finisher
Diane Van Deren - a five-time finisher
Tyler Curiel finished his 10th Hardrock
A collection of >= 10-time finishers
Kirk Apt - our first 15-time finisher
Course organizer Charlie Thorn
My Crew
