2026 HARDROCK 100 PREVIEW: DAUWALTER RETURNS AND TOM EVANS DEBUTS IN THE SAN JUANS
One hundred milers do not get harder than the loop that starts in Silverton, Colorado, at 6 a.m. on July 10. The 2026 Hardrock 100 sends its small lottery field 102.5 miles through the San Juan Mountains, climbing 33,000 feet at an average elevation of around 11,000 feet, this year in the clockwise direction.
The entrants list gives the race two headline storylines: the return of the most decorated woman in the event's history, and the arrival of one of the best 100-mile racers in the world for his first attempt at the course.
The Women's Race
Courtney Dauwalter returns to the San Juans, where she won three straight editions from 2022 to 2024. Her 2024 win came with a course record, part of a record progression that has accelerated sharply over the past decade.
One name will be missing. Katie Schide, who broke the course record while winning in 2025, withdrew from the 2026 race with an injury. Her absence removes what would have been the most anticipated women's matchup in the sport.
The field behind Dauwalter still has depth. Tara Dower finished fourth here in 2024 and won the 2025 Javelina 100 Mile. Careth Arnold arrives off a 2025 season that included a win at TDS in Chamonix. Veterans Kaci Lickteig, Aliza Lapierre, and Darla Askew all bring previous experience on this course or at comparable mountain 100s.
The Men's Race
Ludovic Pommeret starts as the defending champion after winning in 2025, a title he added to his 2024 victory, when he too set a course record. The Frenchman has made the San Juans his late-career signature.
The most interesting name on the list is Tom Evans. The Briton won UTMB in 2025 and the Western States 100 in 2023, and finished second at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail in 2024. He has never raced Hardrock, and how his speed translates to 13,000-foot passes is the central question of the men's race.
The American contingent runs deep. Dylan Bowman, second here in 2021, returns, along with Jason Schlarb, third in 2024, and Arlen Glick, fourth in 2023. Jimmy Elam arrives with 2025 wins at the Mammoth 200 Mile and Cascade Crest 100 Mile, and Ryan Smith was third in 2021.
The Course
Hardrock is not a race that rewards leg speed alone. The loop links the old mining towns of Silverton, Telluride, Ouray, and Lake City over a string of high passes, topping out above 14,000 feet on Handies Peak, and the race's history is full of favorites undone by altitude, weather, and the sheer length of the climbs.
The direction alternates each year, and 2026 runs clockwise. Every finisher ends the race the same way, by kissing the Hardrock, the painted stone that serves as the finish line in Silverton.
The race starts Friday, July 10, at 6 a.m. Mountain time.