Silverton, Colorado, July 11. Diana Finkel of South Fork, Colorado broke the women’s course record and Karl Meltzer of Sandy, Utah posted the second fastest time ever in winning the 16th annual Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run, which finished here today.
Finkel, who also won in 2008, broke Betsy Kalmeyer’s 2001 record by more than two hours, posting a 27:18 time. She finished third overall. Meltzer’s time of 24:38 is the fastest for a counter-clockwise run, and is second only to Kyle Skaggs’ 2008 course record 23:23. It was Meltzer’s fifth win here.
The race starts and finishes in Silverton and passes through the towns of Ouray and Telluride. The route, which is actually 101.3 miles, has 34,000 vertical feet of climbing, and crests eleven mountain passes, all of which are more than 13,000 feet in elevation. The route alternates directions, a clockwise loop one year and then counter-clockwise the next. The clockwise loop is generally considered the faster of the two, although snow conditions can vary widely from year to year and significantly impact times as well.
Of the 140 starters, 105 finished within the 48-hour time limit.
Men
1. Karl Meltzer, 41, Sandy, UT, 24:38
2. Troy Howard, 36, Walnut Creek, CA, 26:01
3. Scott Jaime, 39, Highlands Ranch, CO, 27:47
4. Andy Jones-Wilkins, 41, Ketchum, ID, 28:09
5. Jared Campbell, 29, Sandy, UT, 28:32
Women
1. Diana Finkel, 37, South Fork, CO, 27:18 (course record, old record 29:58, Betsy Kalmeyer, 2001)
2. Ronda Sundermeier, 42, Tigard, OR, 33:56
3. Helen Cospolich, 32, Breckenridge, CO, 35:14
4. Betsy Nye, 44, Tahoe City, CA, 35:25
5. Betsy Kalmeyer, 47, Leadville, CO, 35:35