Shopping CartHardrock 100, Silver Rush 50, Golden Gate 50k
Alan Smith on the Hardrock Course
“Brutal conditions this year! Anyone who finished Hardrock sure earned it. One runner counted over 150 stream crossings… there were crossings present this year that have never been there in the past. If I had to sum up the condition of the course it would be described as huge mountains covered in mud and running water. And it was a tale of two races for me. From the start my heart rate was sky high even hiking and coming up Little Giant I was 2nd to last and could barely move. Through Sherman I was an hour and a half slower than my previous best split. I didn’t think there was any way to make up any time and was pretty worried I’d miss a cut-off somewhere ahead. But my saving grace was that I could still move downhill really well and as the miles went by I got faster. Ended up finishing with a personal best time of 43:27, about 5 minutes better than two years ago. As always it was an incredible experience and I’m reminded how appreciative I am of the Hardrock family. So many inspiring efforts in the heart of such inspiring landscape. It’s no wonder we all keep coming back year after year.”
-VFuel cofounder Alan Smith after his 3rd Hardrock 100 finish.
VFuel cofounder Alan Smith at the rock for the 3rd time!
In addition to Alan getting out and pushing his limits this past weekend we had quite few VFuel Athletes out there crushing incredible performances! Let’s continue with Hardrock, shall we…
Brendan Trimboli
Brendan crushed his first ever Hardrock rolling into the top 10 (9th male) with a time of 29:25, coming in safely below his goal of a sub 30 finish. And this was in spite of being attacked by some tricky watermelon slices!
Brendan Trimboli bringing it home! Photo Credit: Ashley Dickson
Kari Fraser
Kari has a suburb race finishing in 38:23, good enough for 5th female! This was Kari’s first Hardrock attempt but that’s a bit deceiving, as she has paced friend Chris Gerber over 250 total miles during his 5 Hardrock finishes. She’s covered ever step of the course at least a couple of times, so she knows the course well and is super fit, not to mention tough as nails!
Kari and the undisputed crew World Champs, Super Crew!
Now let’s travel a little north toward the Sawach Range to the Silver Rush 50 in Leadville where we had a few athletes crushing some great performances!
Mike Aish
Mike is on a roll this year! After killing it at the Leadville Marathon a couple of weeks ago he was back racing the Silver Rush 50. What else would you expect but another win and CR from him! He finished in 6:48:54 and looks poised to have an incredible performance at the Leadville 100 next month!
Mike speeding to a new course record!
Timmy Parr
Timmy wasn’t far behind and had a fantastic race coming in a close 2nd in a time of 6:56:41. This is one of Timmy’s best performances and he is running super strong and very smart.
The 2nd of a VFuel 1-2 Punch! Timmy Parr on the heelps of Mike Aish for 2nd!
Mark Theiss
Mark is on a quest for another Leadman finish and had a strong showing at the 50 mile Mountain Bike on Saturday. He rode a super steady race and finished in 4:53:23.
Now let’s take it out west to check in on one of the most awesome athletes we know! Larisa Dannis has had a very rough patch with a couple of fractures and has been so diligent in her recovery efforts and trying to get back in top form. We’d say she’s off to a great start!
Larisa Dannis
She absolutely crushed the Golden Gate 50k in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on her home trails in San Francisco setting a new CR with a time of 4:28:03. This is a burley course with over 6k feet of climbing so that’s an even more impressive time considering the terrain! We are so thrilled to see Larisa back at, and back at it in style! Here’s to happy and healthy miles Larisa! Congrats!
New course record and another win for Larisa. You know, no big deal.
So, to sum up, it’s just another incredible weekend of VFuel Athletes throwing down some pretty stellar performances! From the high country in Colorado to the coastal mountains of California, this weekend it was good to be a VFuel Athlete!