Kilian Jornet wins Hardrock 100 with arm in sling after dislocating shoulder mid-race

Imagine running with a busted shoulder to finish a race. Spaniard Kilian Jornet did that on Friday at the Hardrock Endurance Run, a 100.5-mile (160K) ultra-marathon in Silverton, Colo.

Jornet suffered a dislocated shoulder at 22K after taking a “head-over-heels tumble,” according to iRunFar, and then “used his other arm to re-locate his humerus bone where it should be inside his shoulder joint.” Jornet went on to complete the remaining 86 miles of the race and win his fourth consecutive Hardrock 100 title.

As the pain set in over the proceeding kilometres– the race features 20,000m of elevation change — Jornet opted to have his arm taped at approximately 68K, and ran the remainder of the race that way in an effort to limit the movement of his shoulder. Prior to that, he ran with a makeshift sling tucking his arm into his vest.

The 29-year-old won by 23 minutes over second-place finisher Mike Foote in 24:31:48. Jornet’s latest victory is the latest in a lengthy list of feats in 2017 that includes a win at the Marathon du Mont Blanc and twice sumitting Mount Everest, without bottled oxygen, in a six-day span.

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Finish plus post-race interview

The women’s race was not without drama either. Champion Caroline Chaverot got lost about two-thirds through the race and, according to the Denver Post, lost upwards of 90 minutes with her pacer at the time. She was nearly 20 minutes ahead of course-record pace well past the halfway point of the race. The Frenchwoman finished the 100-miler in 28:31:18.

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Canadian Becky Bates, 55, finished an impressive fifth overall in 32:45:45. According to Gary Robbins, Hardrock was Bates’ second-ever 100-miler. Adam Campbell, who at the time of the race lottery could not walk unassisted after a near-fatal climbing accident, was the top Canadian in the men’s race in 33:17:25.

Becky Bates is fifth woman at the 2017 Hardrock 100 in 32:47. #HR100 pic.twitter.com/n3UDxSH17X

— iRunFar (@iRunFar) July 15, 2017

The Hardrock 100 takes place at an average elevation of more than 3,300m in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado.