To the casual observer it may have looked like a procession but for Katie Schide, her Hardrock 100 victory was anything but.
The American ultrarunning superstar won both Western States and UTMB last year but this was her debut at Hardrock.
And she opened up a big lead in the women’s race early on – she was over an hour ahead of Manon Bohard by halfway and for many the big question then was whether Schide could dip under great rival Courtney Dauwalter’s record time of 26:14:08 from 2023.
The answer to that was an emphatic ‘yes’ (by nearly 24 minutes) and she also finished sixth overall.
But when she spoke to Dylan Bowman on the Freetrail podcast, which is embedded below, a very different picture emerged.
‘Let’s just go’
Bowman asked her about what unfolded at the Governor aid station at 64.5 miles which is pretty much two thirds into the run.
Having set off at 6am local time, Schide reached it just before 8.30pm, shortly before sunset and ahead of tackling a tough section in darkness.
“I definitely was in a tricky spot,” revealed Schide. “I think when I’m in those situations when I’m dizzy and a bit overwhelmed and trying to make a decision, I’m often just looking for someone to tell me something.
“It doesn’t have to even be related to what the problem is! Just a ‘do that’ gives me a task.
“But he [pacer Erik Sorensen] was great. He said ‘it’s fine, you’re moving fine. If it sucks, it sucks but you’re still moving fine so let’s just go’.
“And I was yes, okay. But I think at that point, the enormity of the rest of the course is in the back of your head. And knowing that it’s pretty exposed and technical trails. And not like a place you want to fall.”
Crucial role
Schide then underlined the pivotal role that pacers can play in a race like Hardrock.
She added: “I really don’t know how the whole thing would have gone without having pacers. And I’m someone – like Western States – who thinks I run better without a pacer.
“But here I think – even from just a safety perspective – we’re not near anyone.
“And it’s really helpful to have pacers evaluating externally and telling me, no you actually look good.
“Because I think when you end up alone in that sort of situation you can get in a spiral of thinking ‘I’m not moving, I feel terrible’. But someone else telling you, just suck it up and you’re fine can mean a lot.”
And that proved to be exactly the case as she went on to finish incredibly strongly to fill in a rare gap on her glittering CV.
