Hardrock 100 goes forward as wildfire smoke cancels other races

The 2026 Hardrock 100 started Friday, July 10, at 6:00 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time with 147 runners. Hardrock 100 stayed on course even as wildfire smoke and fire closures knocked other endurance events out of the weekend calendar. Organizers waited until Thursday morning to make the final call, weighing smoke forecasts and fire behavior against the fact that runners, volunteers and crews were already headed to Silverton.

A committee made up of the Run Committee, Board of Directors and Run Director had been meeting since Wednesday, July 1, to track conditions. By then, no part of the course was impacted by the Gold Mountain Fire, which was moving north and away from the route, while the Ferris and Doe Canyon fires were pushing heavy smoke into the Silverton area.

The San Juan Mountains course covered 100 miles, 33,441 feet of climbing and 33,441 feet of descent, with 66,882 feet of total elevation change, an average elevation of 11,186 feet, a low point of 7,680 feet in Ouray and a high point of 14,048 feet at Handies Peak. The loop ran through Silverton, Telluride, Ouray and Sherman, and runners had 48 hours to finish.

The race depends on approvals from three towns, four counties, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The U.S. Forest Service closed National Forest System lands near the Gold Mountain Fire on June 30 and expanded the closure area on July 2. The Bureau of Land Management issued emergency closures the same day for lands north and east of Silver Jack Reservoir and later expanded closures in Dolores County.

Leadville’s Silver Rush races were canceled because of the Willow Fire, with organizers citing air quality, evacuation and pre-evacuation orders, and strain on emergency resources. The Ouray 100 was canceled after the Gold Mountain Fire triggered closures near Ouray. It has run in early July since 1992 except in 1995, 2002, 2019 and 2020, with 2002 lost to nearby forest fires.