dpThe 2026 Hardrock 100 is a go.
After weeks of monitoring smoke from nearby wildfires, race organizers announced Thursday morning that the iconic 100-mile ultramarathon will proceed as planned. About 150 runners are set to start the race Saturday in Silverton, climbing more than 33,000 feet over 13 mountain passes and traveling through the towns of Telluride and Ouray and the ghost town of Sherman. They have 48 hours to finish.
But until less than 48 hours before the starting gun, whether the race itself would happen remained uncertain. Organizers gave themselves until Thursday morning to make the final call, balancing forecasts for smoke and fire behavior against the reality that many runners, volunteers and crews were already traveling to Silverton.
The Gold Mountain Fire, burning north of Ouray and east of Highway 550, has filled parts of southwestern Colorado with smoke, closed public lands and prompted organizers of other endurance events to cancel or postpone races. As of Thursday morning, the fire had burned more than 32,000 acres and was 8% contained.
While Hardrock determined it could safely move forward, other marquee endurance events like the Ouray 100 and Leadville’s Silver Rush mountain bike and ultramarathons were called off. Others, like August’s Leadville Trail 100, remain in limbo.
Longtime Hardrock race director Dale Garland said the decision to proceed with the race extended far beyond the race organization itself. Hardrock requires permits from three towns, four counties, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management — nine separate agencies.
“The process of making the decision isn’t made in a vacuum without talking to everyone first,” Garland told The Colorado Sun on Wednesday.
Each stakeholder viewed the situation differently, Garland said. Federal land managers focused primarily on course conditions, while local governments considered how the race would affect their communities, including the economic impact of bringing hundreds of runners, crews and spectators to Silverton.
Hardrock organizers also developed an air-quality decision matrix using Environmental Protection Agency monitoring stations in Silverton, Ouray and Telluride. If all three locations measured below 100 on the Air Quality Index on Thursday morning, the race would proceed. Readings between 101 and 149 would allow the race to continue while giving runners the option to defer until next year. Any reading above 150 would trigger a cancellation.
“An accumulation of risk”
Hardrock ultimately reached a different conclusion than the Ouray 100, whose organizers announced their cancellation nearly two weeks before the race — even though both races were affected by the same wildfire.
In a statement, Ouray 100 organizers said the Gold Mountain fire had already burned sections of the course and that wildfire smoke posed an added health risk during a race where respiratory issues are already among the most common medical problems.
“This was not a decision based on any single factor,” organizers wrote. “It was an accumulation of risk.”
The race also cited uncertainty over trail access, emergency response, worsening fire weather and the possibility that race infrastructure such as generators or camp stoves at aid stations could create additional ignition risks during extreme fire conditions.
As to whether he felt pressure after the Ouray announcement, Garland said he understood why some runners might question why Hardrock was moving forward when the Ouray 100 had already been canceled.
“Sure we heard a bit of, ‘if Ouray did this and Hardrock is right next to it, why didn’t Hardrock cancel?’”
But Garland noted that the Gold Mountain fire had burned sections of the Ouray 100 course while remaining north and east of Hardrock’s route.
About 125 miles northeast of the Gold Mountain fire, the Willow fire has burned nearly 4,500 acres in the San Isabel National Forest, which includes parts of the Mount Massive Wilderness in the Leadville Ranger District. On Monday, Life Time, the parent company of the Leadville Race Series, canceled this weekend’s Silver Rush races, which included a 50-mile run Saturday and a 50-mile mountain bike race Sunday.
Amanda Kussin, marketing manager for the series, said organizers worked closely with the city, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service after the Willow fire ignited northwest of Leadville, before making their decision.
“It wasn’t one thing, or even one entity,” Kussin said. “We had to look at the big picture — air quality, strain on resources and the safety of athletes and volunteers. We had to look at it from all angles, and it (canceling) was the best choice to make.”
While the Silver Rush events were called off, organizers have not yet decided whether next month’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike and running races will proceed. The Willow fire is burning near the Powerline section of both courses, and officials say they’re continuing to monitor conditions with local partners. The 120-mile Triple Bypass bike tour from Evergreen to Avon is on for July 11, with organizers this week citing “much-needed rain and favorable winds.”
The uncertainty extends well beyond organized races. State officials are urging residents and visitors to check wildfire closures and changing conditions before heading outdoors as fires, drought and extreme heat reshape recreation across much of Colorado.
For race organizers across the state, the balancing act is likely to continue for the rest of the summer as wildfires, smoke and changing conditions force difficult decisions about whether marquee endurance events can safely go forward.
For Garland, who’s been at the helm of the Hardrock for its 35-year history, this year’s decision was simply the latest reminder that organizing a mountain race increasingly means adapting to conditions far beyond the course itself.
“All of us as organizers are looking at the conditions and saying, ‘What’s best for the resources, and what’s best for our communities?’” he said.
