Getting In · Coveted ultra
HURT 100
People hear Hawaii and picture a beach. HURT is five twenty-mile laps through the Tantalus rainforest above Honolulu, over root systems that look like a net thrown across the trail, in mud, in humidity, for up to 36 hours. It finishes about four in ten starters.
- Distance
- 100 mi5 laps of 20
- Climbing
- ~24,500 ft
- Cutoff
- 36 hours
- Field
- ~130
- Finish rate
- Often around 40%
- Terrain
- Roots, mud, stream crossings
HURT stands for Hawaiian Ultra Running Team, and the course is genuinely one of the most technical hundreds in the United States. The trails are narrow, wet, and laced with exposed roots for miles at a stretch, so the running is slow and the ankle attention required is constant. Add 24,500 feet of climbing and tropical humidity that never lets your body cool, and you get finishing times that shock people who look at the elevation profile and think it looks manageable.
The community around it is small and fierce, and the aid stations are legendary. It's a January race, which makes it a rare mid-winter hundred and a strong Western States qualifier target for people who want to bank a ticket early.
How to get in
- LotteryThe lottery
Entry runs through a lottery, typically in the autumn for the January race. The field is small, roughly 130 runners, so demand outstrips supply, though nowhere near Western States levels.
- Volunteer / serviceVolunteer credit
HURT rewards people who work its events. Volunteering at HURT races is a genuine factor in the entry process and it's the kind of community the race wants.
- Time qualifierQualifying standard
You'll need a qualifying ultra finish to enter. Check the current requirement, since it is adjusted with demand.
Questions runners actually ask
Why is HURT so hard?
24,500 feet of climbing over five laps on rooted, muddy, technical rainforest trail in tropical humidity, with a 36 hour cutoff. Finish rates hover around 40 percent.
Is it a Western States qualifier?
It has historically appeared on the qualifier list, and its January date makes it a useful way to bank a ticket early in the year. Always confirm on the current WSER list.
Go to the source
Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.
If this is your kind of thing
Need the races in between? The hard part of a bucket list year is everything else on the calendar: the qualifier, the tune-up, the long run with a bib on.