Not everyone's idea of fun

Grant Guise competes in the Hard Rock 100 in Colorado earlier this month. Photo: Joey Schrichte
Grant Guise competes in the Hard Rock 100 in Colorado earlier this month. Photo: Joey Schrichte
The first time Grant Guise heard of the Hard Rock 100 he thought it was stupid - now he has run it twice.

You could forgive the 37-year-old for that initial reaction.

Running 100 miles (160km) at altitude through all sorts of terrain and conditions is not everyone's idea of fun.

But the idea of the race grew on the ultra-marathon runner and last year he was finally selected through a lottery to compete.

Earlier this month, he returned to Colorado's San Juan mountain range to complete the race for a second time.

He finished 13th overall, in 30hr 15min 25sec, about 20min faster than last year.

Former winner Anna Frost, also of Dunedin, finished 16th overall and was the fourth-fastest woman.

For Guise, the fact that he even got to run it again was as big a positive as any.

''It's super hard to get into; this is the second time I got into it.

''The first time it took me about five years to get in through the lottery, so to get in again was pretty surprising. I certainly wasn't expecting it.''

The race is limited to 144 people out of about 2000 hopefuls.

It had become one of the world's pinnacle mountain races in recent times, due to the amazing scenery and its profile from attracting high-calibre competitors.

Guise also said the small number of competitors gave it a special feel.

''It is an amazing run, because it's so small. It's so intimate and just has this amazing vibe to it,'' he said.

The course involves contestants undertaking regular climbs to above 4000m, with variable conditions.

Guise ran through a hail and thunder storm, which was common in the race, as well as snow.

Both posed challenges and he said the the snow in particular represented the toughest challenge he had ever faced.

''It was so cold, I can't remember my hands being so cold before. That was probably the toughest thing I've ever had to deal with. I can't remember a tougher thing.

''I was just so tired, it sucked, but I had to push on.''

Pushing on was something he had become accustomed to and thoughts of not wanting to do another one were quickly extinguished within a day of finishing.

He had been a little disappointed by his time, feeling he had prepared much better than last year.

However, he said a discussion with Frost had told him the main outcome of all the training is that it helps you survive the race.

He had gone over three weeks prior to Hard Rock and trained at altitude in Colorado, calling some of those runs as memorable as the race itself.

Originally from Riverton, Guise moved to Dunedin 18 months ago with his wife, who studied medicine at the University of Otago, and two children, aged 5 and 4.

Between them and running his own business importing and distributing Altra running shoes, he was kept busy.

However, he still managed to find time to run 10-12 hours a week.

In these sessions, he concentrates on verticality, often doing multiple laps of Mt Cargill or Flagstaff.

He also incorporates some races into his training, as well as having the occasional week in Wanaka where he would train 35 hours.

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