It’s here, the unexpected French double. A year after Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz, the French ultra-trail runner Ludovic Pommeret has just won a monument of the circuit this Saturday, the Hardrock 100 in Colorado. It is one of the four major races of the discipline in the world, which he completed in 21h33. This is important, since it is the new record of the event in this sense. At 48 years old, yes yes FORTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD, the Savoyard thus dislodged the emblematic Kilian Jornet (21h36 in 2022). The Spaniard was quick to congratulate on social networks “a f…ing legend”, who will celebrate her 49th birthday on July 22.
Already winner of the UTMB in 2016 and the Diagonale des Fous in Réunion in 2021, Ludovic Pommeret never ceases to surprise us, with this masterclass on the Hardrock, 170 km and 10,000 m of positive elevation gain. “It was a dream, I dreamed all day long,” smiles the ultra veteran, a computer engineer outside of his passion. “I was waiting for the nightmare but it never came.”
D’Haene had to retire, Dauwalter still on top
Beaten early in the race by the French reference François D’Haene, Ludovic Pommeret benefited from his withdrawal around the 90th kilometer. And there, the 48-year-old athlete largely dominated the second half of the course, to finish with more than three hours ahead of his first pursuers. “Sometimes, even with the best team at your side it’s not enough, you had to try today but also know how to listen to your body,” explained François D’Haene, who won at Silverton in 2021, on his social networks.
The Swiss Zpeedy Pazos, 2nd in 24h39, and the American Jason Schlarb, 3rd in 24h48, completed the podium of this 29th edition of the Hardrock 100. As usual or almost, the American star of the discipline Courtney Dauwalter won the event in the women’s table in 26h11. She thus beat her time of 26h14 from the previous edition.