What Is Next?

“Man, you just qualified for Hardrock!”… A fellow runner said that to me as I was sitting there, watching others crossing the RRR100 and RRR50 Finish line. And with that, put this “What is next?” thing into overdrive.

If you are into ultra running, Hardrock 100 needs not much introduction. Until now, I never even thought of what other doors this finish will allow me to knock on. Let alone open! Hardrock? Wow!

If you’ve read the First 100 Miler Short Recap you have the answer already. Or at least some of it. So here are some more thoughts on the subject.

So while trying to transition back to “real life”, my mind kept running these questions:

• Hardrock?
• What else?
• What is next?
• And when?

Though as cool as Hardrock sounded, I wanted to use a more objective approach.

First, here is the list of what I considered:

• Hardrock 100
• Western States 100
• Leadville 100
• Run Rabbit Run 100

With some more details for each…

Hardrock 100:
Well, what could I say? That “Man, you just qualified for Hardrock!” sounded so cool! So I had to check it out. But besides that here are some details I considered:

• This is a really hard race! Not only remote, but very high elevation and about twice as much elevation gain/loss when compared to RRR100.
• Considering the post RRR100 funk I was in, however I would perform here, I would likely miss out all the high country adventures the rest of the summer. Those adventure run are very important for me right now.
• For an event with most likely two night out in remote areas, I would prefer having more 100 miler experience under my belt. So much can go wrong out there…
• Would have to give up so much skiing to be able to train for properly for this. Rather come back to this when I have a super solid base each year.

Western States 100:
I remember how pumped I am every single time, whenever we are at Lake Tahoe and I go for a run from Squaw Valley. When I start going up that hill from the ski resort, all the feelings and emotions rush through my body. Along with heavy breathing and the sweat starting a few minutes in, since that is a pretty decent climb from the start… So here is what I considered:

• This is Western States!!!
• The course is comparable to RRR100 and differently difficult. Spends more at lower elevations, but the heat is much worse, plus water crossing, which RRR100 does not have.
• I would love to run Western States at some point in the future. Since there is a lottery with increasing number of tickets issues after each year one is not selected, I’d rather put my name in the hat now. And if I get lucky the first year with my single ticket, then take it as a sign! Last time I checked my single ticket stood against 29,368 others…
• Timing is also not very good, but it is Western States!!!

Western States 100 Lottery Status - so you are telling me, that there is a chance?

Leadville 100:
A few years ago I drove to Twin Lakes on race day to see the runners passing through. I was so pumped simply standing there, taking photos, watching the runners coming through that near Leadville I was pulled over for speeding. I was honest with the officer: I told him that I have no excuse. I was so pumped after watching the runners, I had music turned on in the car and just went with the energy and the flow. I got a warning.

• So much tradition!
• I’ve been up to Hope Pass before. And been to trails around Leadville a few times. So much gorgeous mountainous terrain out there! I want to run on those trails more.
• When compared to RRR100, the course feels a bit easier. Not that much climb, but still very challenging, especially with the shorter cutoff times.
• The race date is much more favorable, though I would be tapering in August so would still miss out on quite a bit of high country action.
• I am sure I’ll be back here in the summer. Might go see the runners again and maybe even volunteer or pace someone to get some training miles in.

View from Hope Pass

Run Rabbit Run 100:
We love Steamboat Springs, CO!!! This event is also very special for me. Ran my first 50 miler here. Then my first 100 miler. I definitely want to see what I can accomplish if I really go for it.

• 100 miles around Steamboat Springs, CO? Wow!!!
• I want to prove that I can finish the course under 30 hours
• The race date is perfect: mid-September allows tapering not to start until September, leaves pretty much a full summer worth of high country time. That means a lot to me.
• My long term goal is to build up to a point where I can run at least two 100 milers a year. One earlier in the year and one in the Fall. I would love RRR100 to become a staple, a fix point every year, in a way, when running 100 miles does not prohibit going on other adventures for months. I could set the tone for that proving I can do this faster while recovering faster.
• I really like this event. And did I mention we love Stemboat Springs?

If you know me, you were probably already worried about the lack of tables by now… Worry no more: here is an overview of the key details:

Event	Event Date	Registration/Lottery Opens	Register/Lottery Entry Before	Lottery On
Hardrock 100	Jul 15, 2022	Nov 1, 2021	Nov 21, 2021	Dec 4, 2021
Western States 100	Jun 25, 2022	Nov 1, 2021	Nov 21, 2021	Dec 4, 2021
Leadville 100	Aug 20, 2022	Dec 1, 2021	Dec 15, 2021	Jan 12, 2022
Run Rabbit Run 100	Sep 16, 2022	Nov 20, 2021	until full	N/A

The conclusion (for now):
I signed up for the Western States 100 lottery. For the first time. I have a single ticket in the hat. If my ticket is pulled, then I’ll do Western States next year. If I am not selected: I’ll sign up for RRR100. And given there are three months between the two events, even if I am selected for Western States I might raise the stakes and sign up for RRR100. I can still decide on the latter scenarios on the 4th of December. Now I go for a run. Cheers!