Zach Miller had been looking forward to running the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in southwestern Colorado for years.
The 35-year-old runner sponsored by The North Face received entry into the 2024 event via one of race director Dale Garland鈥檚 six personal picks, and with a solid regimen of training under his belt, Miller appeared to be one of the favorites for this year鈥檚 event on July 12-13. But on July 5, he woke up in Silverton, Colorado, with considerable abdominal pain. Doctors in Durango, Colorado, initially thought he might have been suffering from kidney stones鈥攖he pain was consistent to a 25-hour episode he said he suffered in mid-June鈥攂ut a few hours later, he had an emergency appendectomy via a laparoscopic surgical procedure.
Miller鈥檚 appendix didn鈥檛 burst, but doctors removed it because they believed it was imminent. But soon after the procedure, he said he started thinking about the chance to be on the Hardrock starting line. He said he was walking around the hospital later in the evening after the procedure, and the next day, after he was released from the hospital, he walked about 3 miles in Durango. The following day, he rode his gravel bike in Silverton without any pain, and the the day after that鈥攖hree days after the surgery鈥攈e was back running the trails around Silverton with mild post-surgical discomfort.
By Wednesday of this week, after running 8 miles and 6 miles on back-to-back days, Miller said he had hoped to start the 100.5-mile event and received verbal consent from his doctor. By Thursday morning, that consent came in written form, which he then submitted to Hardrock officials.
Miller said he had consulted with his doctor, his girlfriend, Jess, and several other people close to him and decided he wanted to continue with his intent to run. He said he didn鈥檛 feel any pain running this week, only some slight discomfort from the suture closures at the three point-of-entry holes in his abdomen that provided access for the laparoscopic procedure.
However, the Hardrock board of directors met with its medical advisors on Thursday and decided Miller would be ineligible to start the event. (Hardrock officials did not respond to RUN鈥檚 request for an interview or statement about the situation.)
鈥淭he recovery鈥檚 been really smooth, every day鈥檚 been better,鈥 Miller said Thursday afternoon. 鈥淚 ran the past four days and biked the other, and I felt surprisingly good. Honestly, I felt like I could go out there and give it a good hard go. Would I have? I don鈥檛 know, but I felt like there was a shot.鈥
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Looking Forward
Miller said he understands the liability and safety concerns鈥攂oth for his health and for the heightened potential of on-course evacuation if a problem did arise鈥攁nd respects Hardrock鈥檚 decision.
鈥淚 think if they gave me the green light, it was pretty much decided I was going to go for it,鈥 said Miller, who finished second at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, France, last summer. 鈥淏ut we didn鈥檛 get it, and that鈥檚 just the way it is, so I鈥檒l just move on from here. There鈥檚 definitely some disappointment, but it was a difficult and unexpected situation, and nobody wanted to be in that situation and making those decisions. As much as it hurts, it鈥檚 understandable, and it鈥檚 the responsible thing to do.鈥
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In the months leading up to Hardrock, Miller training in Bend, Oregon, Manitou Springs, Colorado, and eventually Silverton. He said he hopes to maintain his fitness and then pivot to another event or a potential attempt in the near future, but said on Thursday he hadn鈥檛 yet thought about that in detail.
On Thursday evening, after learning he wasn鈥檛 going to be able to run, he went on a two-hour run near Silverton that covered 12 miles with 1,200 feet of vertical gain.
鈥淭here are still some good races left for the year and there鈥檚 always plenty of projects and FKTs to consider so the fitness I鈥檝e enjoyed from the training doesn鈥檛 have to be wasted,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 still there and I can hopefully go use it somewhere else.鈥
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