After a third-place end ultimately yr’s occasion, Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth is again on the 2025 Hardrock 100 to attempt to have a smoother lap across the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Within the following interview, Katharina talks about a number of the points she had in 2024, her win on the 2024 Tor des Géants, getting back from knee surgical procedure over the winter and coping with different accidents, and what she’s trying ahead to out on the course.
To study extra about who’s racing, try our preview earlier than following our dwell protection in the course of the race.
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Katharina Hartmuth Pre-2025 Hardrock 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar right here with Katharina Hartmuth earlier than the 2025 Hardrock 100. How are you, Katharina?
Katharina Hartmuth: Hello, I’m good, thanks.
iRunFar: Yeah, I’d say welcome again to the San Juans, however you appear to spend extra time right here than I do within the final yr.
Hartmuth: In all probability, yeah.
iRunFar: What brings you again to Hardrock?
Hartmuth: Oh man, I simply love this race.
iRunFar: Yeah?
Hartmuth: Yeah. And final yr’s expertise on the race was attention-grabbing, to say the least. So I used to be like, I’ve to return again. I’ve to do higher.
iRunFar: And why was it attention-grabbing final yr as a refresher?
Hartmuth: Oh, man. Yeah. Final yr was attention-grabbing as a result of I used to be already going into the race not realizing if I may run correctly. After which it was humorous as a result of that was not a problem within the race in any respect. However yeah, I had a very good first half of the race, after which within the second half, my race completely fell aside. I couldn’t eat for a pair hours after which I bonked. It was the worst bonk ever. I’ve by no means had that earlier than. After which I had that difficulty, after which in some unspecified time in the future I misplaced my imaginative and prescient, which was additionally not useful. I had a bladder an infection in the course of the race, so it was like, yeah, it was simply numerous stuff that I positively didn’t anticipate to occur.
iRunFar: However you managed it?
Hartmuth: I did.
iRunFar: Not in addition to you desire to, clearly, however you managed it.
Hartmuth: I did, yeah, as a result of my pacer didn’t enable me to return to Cunningham. Once I was making my method up the Little Large, and I used to be like, “I don’t actually know find out how to stand up there”, as a result of my legs had been so, they had been strong. I couldn’t transfer. And she or he was like, “No, there isn’t any method we’re going again.”
iRunFar: 150k, you’re actually eager about going backwards to drop out.
Hartmuth: Sure, as a result of I used to be like, the taking place appeared no less than doable.
iRunFar: That seems like fairly the race expertise.
Hartmuth: It was, yeah.
iRunFar: A rising expertise.
Hartmuth: Oh yeah. I nonetheless managed to someway fall in love with the race regardless of all this.
iRunFar: And possibly it’s a hopeful nature of yours to suppose you’ll be able to come again and have a… You possibly can’t have a lot of a tougher expertise, proper?
Hartmuth: Yeah, most likely.
iRunFar: Yeah. Properly, talking of inauspicious experiences, you had been right here doing an interview this time final yr, and also you had actually not run but that yr or that season, and also you had one other main harm this spring that set you again an extended whereas. What occurred?
Hartmuth: Yeah, it was extremely unlucky and really irritating to be sincere, as a result of yeah, final yr was a little bit of a curler coaster, and on the finish of the yr I needed to bear knee surgical procedure due to these ongoing issues after an accident and coaching.
After which lastly I got here again after the knee harm. I had a pleasant construct up and I used to be able to run at Madeira [Island Ultra-Trail] in April, and I wasn’t in nice form. I used to be like, wow, I felt good and I used to be able to lastly to race once more. After which I did my final future earlier than the race, and I simply slipped. A humid fall on gravel. It was a bit free, and I used to be like, yeah, no huge deal. I hit my knee a bit, however I used to be like, yeah, I imply, come on. It was only a small slip, how dangerous can or not it’s?
And I completed my run and yeah, it damage a bit the subsequent few days, however I used to be like, Yeah, okay, I simply taper now and it’ll be effective. After which we went to Madeira and it simply didn’t get higher in any respect, and I couldn’t even stroll with out ache. So, in some unspecified time in the future I used to be similar to, One thing shouldn’t be proper. After which the day earlier than the race, I nonetheless tried to do some run simply to see if some miracle occurred.
iRunFar: Like final yr earlier than Hardrock.
Hartmuth: Yeah, precisely. And I did 5 steps and I used to be like, no. Simply ache. And so I went again, we did a scan in Zurich in Switzerland and revealed that I truly had a bone bruise on my knee as a result of I fell so sadly that I hit the femur bone. And it seemed fairly dangerous truly, on a scan. And I used to be stunned as a result of it was only a small slip. Properly, however that meant that I couldn’t run for seven weeks, and it was solely two and a half months to go till Hardrock.
iRunFar: Yeah. So how did you handle that?
Hartmuth: Properly, I imply…
iRunFar: Since you did.
Hartmuth: Yeah, I did. Properly, I spent my time at dwelling. I rested for 2 weeks, after which I may slowly return to the bike. So fortunately I actually like biking. And so I used to be like, Okay, no less than I can do one thing. And I actually tried to remain optimistic. I have to say that Hardrock was a extremely huge motivation to remain calm. Yeah, I can do that. It’s tight. I at all times knew it might be tremendous tight. However yeah, I managed to someway, yeah, keep I believe someway in a very good situation. However I didn’t do something on my toes. I didn’t stroll, I didn’t hike, nothing like that. After which I got here right here 5 weeks in the past and I nonetheless wasn’t allowed even to hike.
iRunFar: So, at first of June, you’re in Silverton and you may’t even hike uphill?
Hartmuth: Yeah. So fortunately I had a motorbike right here, so I used to be like, Okay, no less than I’ve the bike. I can cycle indoors and outside. So I did that. After which after 10 days, I began to hike solely uphill. I did some stuff on the treadmill truly, as a result of there you go up, however you don’t need to go down. After which all of the sudden I began some uphill operating and it felt good. After which I used to be nonetheless mountain climbing downhill, and in some unspecified time in the future I attempted some downhill operating and it was considerably okay, nevertheless it was at all times like typically there was ache, typically there was no ache.
It’s so troublesome to navigate the sort of harm. And I do know that with the bone, in the event you push it an excessive amount of, it simply comes again. However yeah, someway I managed to do even a few lengthy runs, which is shocking.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: However yeah, I believe the final two weeks I obtained numerous confidence in, no less than in that knee.
iRunFar: Oh no.
Hartmuth: Yeah, as a result of effectively that knee appears to be effective now, however the different knee I had surgical procedure on that made some points then. So yeah. Properly, it by no means ends.
iRunFar: No, however you’ll have some stuff to navigate—
Hartmuth: Oh yeah.
iRunFar: Through the race itself, what are you trying ahead to most in the course of the race?
Hartmuth: Oh, that’s at all times a very good query. Properly, to start with, I simply stay up for be out on the course, simply operating, be there by myself. Truly, I’m not that a lot trying ahead to the beginning. I at all times want to be by myself such that I can settle into my very own tempo and never be wired. And the beginning is at all times like everyone’s nonetheless collectively and it’s at all times a bit tense.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Hartmuth: However yeah, I’m simply tremendous trying ahead to climbing all these passes and to be on the market, see the individuals on the support stations, simply yeah, the expertise. Having hopefully a very good day, yeah.
iRunFar: So, between your two main accidents, you had an amazing run profitable Tor des Géants final September.
Hartmuth: That’s proper. My final race.
iRunFar: So, you managed to get some actually good health briefly intervals of time, in order that’s helpful. However does having such a very good race, such a robust efficiency, as a result of additionally a course document — first girl beneath 80 hours, if I’m remembering appropriately. However does having such a very good run for therefore lengthy change your framing for a race that’s 30 hours, at Hardrock?
Hartmuth: Properly, I’m unsure as a result of the factor with Tor is which you can be relaxed as a result of it’s so lengthy which you can’t go quick in any respect, as a result of in any other case you kill your self method too early. However I believe what I discovered at Tor is that you just actually, particularly with the vitamin, and that was an issue at Hardrock final yr, in the event you simply managed to dial that someway and simply hold consuming corresponding to you by no means get into that bonk state. I used to be so stunned as a result of even on the final day, day 4, I may nonetheless push effectively, and I used to be like, Okay, that is truly attention-grabbing. Properly, the sleep factor was a bit a problem as a result of that’s clearly one thing that performs a job there. So thankfully for Hardrock, it’s not that huge of a problem.
iRunFar: Hopefully you’re not sleeping throughout Hardrock.
Hartmuth: No, that might be dangerous.
iRunFar: It’s at all times an choice.
Hartmuth: It’s, I’m not planning to sleep on this race. No, however I believe, yeah, it was attention-grabbing for me to see as a result of I at all times thought in the event you go to a extremely lengthy distance, it simply will get more durable. And naturally it was a tough race, however in some facets simply labored effectively. And I believe additionally simply pondering of and reminding myself of my why on a regular basis and simply preserving motivation up, however someway it labored so effectively.
iRunFar: So possibly these are issues you’ll be able to carry into Hardrock by way of—
Hartmuth: Yeah, I hope so. Oh, positively.
iRunFar: Having the whys and tweaking your vitamin a little bit bit.
Hartmuth: Yeah, that was my huge objective for this yr, to simply someway handle to maintain consuming. As a result of I do know that final yr I misplaced two and a half hours simply within the final three races as a result of I attempted to eat, however I couldn’t.
iRunFar: Which isn’t unusual right here. You’re not the one one.
Hartmuth: No, it’s not. I do know.
iRunFar: If I may eat the final 14 hours of Hardrock, this is able to go a complete lot higher.
Hartmuth: If I discovered one thing that’s simply everyone’s struggling at this race.
iRunFar: Completely, completely.
Hartmuth: However I see some potential there.
iRunFar: Is there sufficient of a distinction between a UTMB, which is a few hours quicker, and a Hardrock the place you’ll be able to possibly run a little bit extra simply the primary half to attempt to have the ability to handle the fueling and vitamin for longer?
Hartmuth: Yeah, effectively, the principle distinction for me is to start with, UTMB is far more runnable. So that’s extra tense on the abdomen. On the opposite facet, the opposite huge distinction is that we’re at altitude right here. I believe that’s what killed my abdomen final yr. However yeah, I believe that it’s a bit much less tense. Simply consider UTMB, how many individuals are operating. The primary 4 or 5 hours you’re amongst individuals, even while you run in entrance. So that’s numerous stress. In order that’s what I like about Hardrock, it’s such a small discipline. So it’s solely the primary two passes after which you’re principally by yourself.
iRunFar: 20k, you would be—
Hartmuth: Precisely.
iRunFar: … alone for the subsequent 10 hours.
Hartmuth: And as a lot as I like to run with some individuals, it’s like I actually stay up for simply being by myself.
iRunFar: Superior. Properly, Katharina, have a good time out there-
Hartmuth: Thanks.
iRunFar: And luxuriate in your time on Hardrock Course.
Hartmuth: Thanks very a lot.
