Hardrock 100 Virtual Challenge

Start Here: Basics and Essentials

What is the Hardrock 100 Virtual Challenge?
A Virtual Challenge from July 17 - September 7, 2020 that brings the magic of Hardrock to thousands of ultrarunners while simultaneously supporting the beloved towns of Silverton, Ouray, Lake City and Telluride.


What does the challenge entail?
Sign up for & complete one of three distinct challenges, each inspired by the iconic Hardrock 100 course:
The Hardrock 100: Accumulate 100 miles with at least 33,000 feet of vertical gain.
The Flat as a Pancake Hardrock 100: Accumulate 100 miles with no elevation requirement, specifically designed for those who live in areas where finding big hills may prove to be difficult.
Half a Hardock: Accumulate 56.6 miles of any kind, with no elevation requirement, to simulate the course from Silverton to Ouray.

Complete your challenge in a single run, or in multiple efforts – as many as you need – between July 17 and September 7, 2020.


How do I participate?
Results tracking is automated through PWR Lab (using a compatible GPS watch or your phone), or through manual entry on the honor system. Track progress on an interactive map and leaderboard to see who crosses the line first, who gets there the fastest, who does the most climbing, and who just gets out there and gets the work done!


How much does it cost?
Registration is $30 and 100% of net proceeds will be donated to the towns of Hardrock, to help them in their economic recovery efforts.


How do I register?
Register on our Ultrasignup event page


Do I need a GPS watch to participate?

No! We have partnered with PWR Lab to provide you with automated tracking through compatible devices (Suunto, Garmin, Polar, and COROS coming soon), but also the ability to manually enter your results and track your progress.

All awards will be based on GPS tracking only.

PRO TIP: If you do not have a supported GPS device, but carry a phone while you run, you can download the free Suunto App and use their built in GPS activity recorder to sync with PWR Lab. (Strava is not compatible)



What is PWR Lab?

PWR Lab (pronounced "power") is a running analytics company created to help runners avoid training injuries by connecting big data with sport science. The platform helps runners of any level predict risk, prevent injury, and perform optimally.

You’re eligible to redeem a free trial on their platform – no credit card info needed, no obligation, no risk – which begins when you create your account.

For more information on PWR Lab check out their FAQ, or YouTube Channel for tutorial videos.



Event & Participant Info

How do my results get to the leaderboard?

Once you register for the event there are two options for getting results onto the leaderboard: automatic sync through PWR Lab, or manual entry of your results. You can also mix the two! There is a section dedicated to each in this FAQ

Results displayed as “Verified” must go through PWR Lab, and must be recorded on the GPS device specifically as a “running” activity.



I signed up after the event started, which results can be counted?
Whether you are using automatic results or manual entries, only activities on or after the date you registered will count. Think about your time of registration as the time you cross the starting line: anything recorded before that cannot be counted, as you were not participating yet!


What happens when I hit the total mileage of my challenge?
Once you hit your total mileage (100.0 or 56.6 miles), that’s it! You’ve reached the finish line. No future activities will count toward your total. If you’re in The Hardrock 100 division and aiming for 33,000 ft of elevation gain, be sure to get all 33,000 feet in within your first 100 miles!


What is PWR Lab’s free trial & app all about?

PWR Lab is a running analytics company created to help runners avoid training injuries by connecting big data with sport science. The platform helps runners of any level predict risk, prevent injury, and perform optimally.

You’re eligible to redeem a free trial to the platform – no credit card info needed, no obligation, no risk – which begins when you create your account.

There is zero obligation to use the app, purchase anything, or subscribe – you participation in the challenge will continue without an active PWR Lab account. We hope you will find PWR Lab to be a wealth of information and guidance in preparing for, participating in, and remaining healthy beyond this event!



What’s going to be in my SWAG bag?
Hardrock is so proud to have great corporate partners! You can expect to see names such as Smartwool, Black Diamond, Ultimate Direction, Suunto, Gu, Trail Runner Magazine, Squirrels Nut Butter and Kahtoola in your bag. Many of those have also stepped up with raffle prizes that we will be awarding at the end of the challenge.


Sync Results Automatically with PWR Lab

What email address should I use to sign-up for PWR Lab?

If you want to take advantage of automatic results tracking, you should sign-up for PWR Lab with the same email address you used to register for this event, so that PWR Lab can match your automatic data to your bib number.

If you signed up using different email addresses, you should log into your UltraSignup account and update it to match the PWR Lab email address.



How do I sync a device with PWR Lab?

PWR Lab will guide you through the process of linking a compatible device during initial sign-up. You can also reference this video for help in linking a device.



What devices & services are compatible for auto-syncing with the event?

PWR Lab is currently compatible with Suunto, Garmin, and Polar. COROS is coming soon, so keep an eye on PWR Lab if you’re waiting on that update. Uploading FIT files, GPX files, screenshots, etc. is not supported.

PRO TIP: If you do not have a supported GPS watch, but carry a phone while you run, you can download the free Suunto App and use their built in GPS activity recorder to sync with PWR Lab. (Strava is not compatible)



What activity types will count? Walking, hiking, cardio, steps?
Only activities recorded specifically as a running activity will be imported, analyzed, and verified for the leaderboard. If you want to include walks, hikes, steps, or anything else you can either record them as runs, or use the manual upload to account for that mileage.


What about treadmill runs?

When in doubt, you can always upload treadmill results using manual entry. But some watches also support Treadmill modes that are compatible with PWR Lab:

Many newer GPS watches have the option to “Calibrate Distance” after completing a treadmill run. On a Garmin, record the activity specifically as a treadmill run. After stopping the watch – but before saving the activity – scroll down to “Calibrate and Save”, and enter the total distance displayed on the treadmill.

If you record the run and save it without calibrating / adjusting the distance, then it is likely to be very inaccurate. Also note that if you run on a treadmill without selecting a specific treadmill mode, then the distance calculated using GPS will be very small (close to 0), because you’re not moving away from the treadmill.

Note that adjusting the distance in Garmin Connect after you have saved & submitted the activity will not change the data that is sent to PWR Lab or the leaderboard. Examples & Resources: Article, Video



What does the green Verified badge mean?

The green Verified badge is reserved for participants who have uploaded 100% Verified data through PWR Lab.

Uploading FIT files, GPX files, screenshots, etc. is not supported in order to get Verified results.



Why doesn’t my leaderboard elevation gain match across PWR Lab, Suunto, Strava, etc?
GPS watches and devices are equipped with different hardware and sensors, including barometric altimeters. Watches without barometric altimeters calculate and approximate elevation values differently than those with. Many services, such as Garmin and Strava, will recalculate elevation after importing the GPS data, especially for devices without barometric altimeters. At this time, PWR Lab does not recalculate elevation gain, but uses the values directly reported by your device. Thus recalculated values from other services may not match the value reported by the watch and used by PWR Lab.


What about my Apple Watch?
Apple Watch is not currently compatible, but PWR Lab is hard at work getting it integrated. In the meantime, it is possible to sign-up for Run Gap, and send Apple Watch to Run Gap to Garmin Connect to PWR Lab. Not for the faint of heart!


Can I manually add activities to my Suunto/Garmin/etc. and sync those to PWR Lab?
No, activities must be recorded on a GPS device and created with underlying GPS data that is synced to PWR Lab for analysis and verification. The activity must be recorded as a running activity specifically in order to be imported, analyzed, and verified. (See other FAQ question for more specific information about approved activity types)


Why isn’t my activity appearing on the leaderboard after I recorded it?

Check to make sure that:

  • You synced your device to the app/service (eg Garmin Connect). PWR Lab does not sync directly to your watch, but receives activity data from services like Garmin & Suunto after you sync to them.
  • You have waited a few minutes (up to 15) for Garmin/Suunto/etc to send the activity to PWR Lab, and for PWR Lab to process it for the leaderboard after syncing your device.
  • You have refreshed the leaderboard page to load the newest data
  • The activity was recorded as a running activity, and not any other type (walking, biking, etc). Changing an activity to running after the fact will not allow the activity to sync.
  • The activity was recorded after you registered for the event. Think about your time of registration as the time you cross the starting line: anything recorded before that cannot be counted with Verified results.
  • You did not unlink your device from your PWR Lab account (you can see this on the Profile page, even if your free trial has expired).


What if I registered multiple people with 1 email address but we want to use PWR Lab individually?
Your PWR Lab account email should match your registration email in order for PWR Lab to send your data to the correct bib number, and a PWR Lab account can only be linked to one participant. Log in to UltraSignup in order to change your registration email to an address that can be used to match your PWR Lab account email address.


Manually Upload Your Results

How do I manually upload results?

Use the manual upload tool to record any activities for this event. You will need your bib number and the email address that you used for registration in order to access the upload tool.



How do I view / edit my manual entries?

Use the manual manual upload tool to see a list of all (and modify any of) your manually uploaded activities for this event. You will need your bib number and the email address that you used for registration in order to access the upload tool.



How do I find my bib number?
When you registered for the Hardrock 100 Virtual challenge you should have received an email with you bib #. If you didn’t, check the Hardrock Virtual Challenge participants page on UltraSignup.


I recently registered but why can’t I get into the manual entry tool?

Make sure you are logging into the manual entry tool with the same email address that was used for registration, and the bib number that was assigned to you. Incorrect combinations will not be allowed to access the tool.

There may also be a slight lag time between your registration and when you are fully added to the event and recognized by the manual entry tool. Normally this should take effect within a few hours, and never more than a day.

Don’t worry if there’s a lag time before you can access the submission tool: once you gain entry, results from any day (between your registration day and today). Contact us if you continue to have trouble beyond 24 hours.



Other Misc. Questions & Info

What if someone’s results seem completely unrealistic?

We ask that you keep the most important pieces of this event in mind: Community! All manual submissions are completely on the honor system. Unrealistic results are often honest mistakes, and are often correct.

Filter the Leaderboard to see Verified results in order to eliminate honor system entries, and view only the results that are backed up by GPS data that is verified by PWR Lab.



What if I need to change my email address?
You should log into your UltraSignup account and update any information that needs to be updated or corrected.


What about mistakes in my age, gender, etc?
Just like with emails, please update information via UltraSignup. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure PWR Lab gets your updates.


What happens when my PWR Lab trial expires if I don’t want to subscribe?

Your free access to most of PWR Lab’s features is expiring, but your participation in the event is not! Your GPS data will continue to automatically upload to the leaderboard, even if you choose not to sign-up for PWR Lab. There’s absolutely no obligation.

The specifics are included below, and you can always reference PWR Lab’s privacy policy & terms of use

  • When signing up for PWR Lab, you can authorize a connection between another running data service (eg Garmin Connect) and PWR Lab.
  • This allows that service to send them activities that you have recorded on your watch/phone and then uploaded. PWR Lab does not actually connect to your watch or track you: your activities are simply pushed through your Garmin Connect, Suunto, Polar, etc. account to the platform.
  • This authorization remains intact until you choose to disable it. Your account is not actually deleted at the end of a free trial, just locked. Thus it can continue to send your results to the race leaderboard.
  • You can disable the link between PWR Lab and your connected services at any time.
  • After connecting your service to PWR Lab, a green link/unlink icon will be displayed on your Profile page. To unlink your account at any time, navigate to the Profile page, scroll to the bottom, and select “unlink”.
  • You can access the Profile page and do this at any time, even if your free trial has expired.


Why are all my historical running activities imported when I link a device?

PWR Lab is a running analytics company created to help runners avoid training injuries. The app is designed to import historical running activity, learn your personal baseline, and then give you completely customized training guidance and injury risk forecasting.

We are extending a free trial of PWR Lab to all our participants, which you're welcome to use for automated mileage tracking during the event. If you do not wish to redeem your free trial and link a device then no worries at all – there is a manual entry option and none of your data will need to flow through PWR Lab. If you do choose to link your device, PWR Lab will import your historical activities for the sake of establishing that baseline, and linked services will continue to push us new activities until you decide to deactivate the link.



I have questions or need help beyond this FAQ
Send us an email: virtual@hardrock100.com