Hardrock Uncovered | Episode 9: Arlen Glick - Ready for the Mountains

Hardrock Uncovered is Ultra Uncovered's exclusive interview series leading into the 2026 Hardrock Endurance Run, bringing you inside the stories, preparation, and mindset of the athletes taking on one of ultrarunning's most iconic races.In Episode 9, we sit down with Arlen Glick as he prepares for his second Hardrock and the opportunity to become a True Hardrocker by completing the course in both directions.After finishing fourth in 2023 just three weeks after the Western States Endurance Run, Arlen returns with a very different approach. Following ACL surgery and a patient two-year recovery, he's finally healthy and able to devote his entire season to preparing for Hardrock.Arlen shares why spending nearly a month living and training in the San Juan Mountains has been just as much about exploration as preparation, how mountain experience outweighs chasing numbers on a training log, and why learning to manage altitude, weather, gear, and nutrition is every bit as important as fitness.The conversation also uncovers his excitement for racing the clockwise direction, his love for Hardrock's unique community, his family-centered crew, and, of course, the legendary brisket waiting at Animas Forks.It's a conversation about resilience, patience, and arriving at Hardrock healthy, grateful, and ready to see what the mountains have to offer.Stay tuned as Hardrock Uncovered continues with more athlete conversations leading up to race