Canada’s Mathieu Blanchard takes second at Hardrock 100

As dawn broke over Silverton, Colo., on Saturday, Canadian/French citizen Mathieu Blanchard ran into town and kissed the famous rock to mark his finish at the Hardrock 100, well under the 24-hour mark (23:44:23). Blanchard finished an hour and 20 minutes behind France’s Ludovic Pommeret, who, at age 49, scored his second consecutive Hardrock victory, in 22:21:53. Germain Grangier, also of France, finished just a few minutes behind Blanchard, in 24:04:10, while 2024 Western States 100 and UTMB champion Katie Schide of the U.S. scored a dominant victory in the women’s race in 25:50:23, in sixth place overall–a new women’s counterclockwise course record.

Blanchard finished second to Kilian Jornet, who recently finished third at Western States 100, at UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) in 2022 and returned to finish fourth in 2023. 

The looped course, which features more than 10,000 metres of elevation gain and loss, alternates directions each year, and this was a counterclockwise year; Pommeret and Blanchard are two of only six or seven runners with sub-24 finishes on the counterclockwise course in the San Juan mountains. 

Men’s top 9

Ludovic Pommeret (FRA) 22:21:53
Mathieu Blanchard (FRA/CAN) 23:44:23
Germain Grangier (FRA) 24:04:10
David Ayala (USA) 24:22:24
Zach Miller (USA) 25:49:22
Brian Culmo (USA) 26:18:52
Jeff Rome (USA) 26:22:38
Kyle Curtin (USA) 26:52:19
Gabe Joyes (USA) 28:26:09

Schide dominates women’s race

Schide’s time was more than 20 minutes ahead of Courtney Dauwalter’s course record, set in 2023. At the time of publication, Schide and Manon Bohard of France were the only two female finishers, Bohard in 28:36:16, just 10 minutes outside the top 10 overall and three hours behind Schide. Swiss runner Katharina Hartmuth was in third position, and Canada’s Stephanie Case, who finished second in 2022 and who won the Ultra-trail Snowdonia 100K in Wales in May, just six months after having her first child, was in fifth. 

Becky Bates of Kimberley, B.C., who is 63, was in eighth position; Bates, who took up running in her 50s, has multiple Hardrock finishes to her name, and has never scored lower than seventh. 

Michigan ultrarunner found dead at Hardrock 100

Sadly, this year’s race was marred by tragedy: 60-year-old Elaine Stypula of Detroit passed away Friday morning after collapsing on the course, just 10 km into the race, near Little Giant Basin. According to media reports, Stypula was an experienced ultrarunner who had competed in the race in 2018. Her Ultrasignup.com shows scores of ultra-trail results, including finishes at UTMB and Western States 100.