It was my 35th marathon, and besides our visit to Yellowstone, it was the highlight of my 2007 journey through Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. It is probably the hardest 42KM run I ever did, but also one of the most beautiful mountain runs. Only Swiss-Alpine in Switzerland may beat it. Many thanks to the extremely friendly people in Colorado for organizing this fantastic event!

This race was the greatest and worst experience of my life all wrapped into one. Run this race if you want to find something out about yourself. This is not for the faint of heart. I loved this race and hope I have the courage to try it again someday!!

If you go into this expecting to actually run, you're in for a world of hurt. If you're prepared for four hours on the Stairmaster followed by a blistering, total-concentration descent - you'll have a much better time. Train on hills and rough terrain; at altitude if you can find any. This was my first marathon, per se, and I spent the previous two months logging 15-20 mile mountain "runs" in the Rockies. After that, the Pike's trail is relatively easy. Great race with a long tradition and community spirit.

This was my first marathon... and, wow, not sure how I'm gonna top this one! Great course, well organized, great course, plenty of support on the course. Did I mention what a great course it is? You definitely won't be running a PR here, but that's ok... it's worth slowing down and enjoying this one.

I've only run two marathons and one ultra-marathon (50K), but so far this one is tops by far.

What a race! I've wanted to do this one since I first heard about it on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway as a 10 year-old. Best course volunteers and spectators I've ever experienced.

Contrary to most of the advice I've been given and read here, I would say don't hold back in the first 2 miles. Where you are once the trail narrows down is pretty much where you'll stay until folks spread out after making the summit.

I arrived from Kansas (900 ft.) a week early and ran up La Platta Peak (14,???). I did the 8-mile roundtrip in 4 hours. After doing the math, there was no way I would finish Pikes Peak under the required 10 hours. Well, hiking for 5 days above 12,000 ft. makes a huge difference. I finished in 7:28. Normally I'm a 4-hour marathoner. Ironically, I loved the uphill and found the downhill brutalizing.

The three best tips I can give are: (1.) spend as many days immediately before the race as high as possible, (2.) force yourself to take DEEP breaths up high and, (3.) park at the finish line by 5:30 a.m. and walk the few blocks to the finish.

Last year I was crazy enough to attempt this having my first four marathons in the prior six months. I learned a lot from that 21-mile DNF. Made if this year just under the 10-hour limit. Since all 800 spots filled in 24 hours, it's probably going to get a lot harder to get into in the future. Making it after I failed was so much sweeter (plus severe blisters caused by bad shoes and tripping downhill).

The most critical piece of advice a volunteer gave me is TAKE IT EASY THE 1st 3 MILES - you can get 60% oxygen debt. That doomed me last year - a 5-hour flat-land marathoner. I'd guess you can ignore this only if you have a serious shot at Boston. Also bought a gas mask to limit air intake - strengthens the diaphram (yes, that's wierd). Got to go at the StairMaster® StepMill® 7000PT at a brisk rate, but failed to practice running down stairs (why I tripped several times and almost DNF). Losing more weight not only would have made me lighter, but REDUCES YOUR AIR CONSUMPTION.

It was a great view, and the medics after the run were teriffic. Do it if you can.

This was my first half-marathon - in fact, prior to the race, I had never run more than eight flat miles. I began training a year prior with some friends, but they couldn't get registered before the race filled up, so we stopped training. Three days before the race, my mom convinced me to run as far as I could, to get a feel for it for the next year. also, she didn't want to waste $65...Remember, I had not trained at all for this in the summer. I ran the entire race in 3:57. It was a fantastic race. I was able to run with older veterans of the race who supported me and cheered me on (I am 16). I do not suggest pulling the stunt I did :). But I'm glad I did! I'm definitely running next year!

This is what running a destination marathon is all about. From the quaint and friendly town of Manitou Springs, to the gracious accommodations at the Two Sisters' Inn, to the delicious caribou and wild boar dinner at the Craftwood Inn, and finally, to the spectacular Barr Trail to the summit of Pike's Peak and back, this marathon has it all. The people were so very nice everywhere we went (especially the volunteers on the trail). Fellow runners were frequently encouraging one another and were courteous when passing each other up and down the trail. This was a small-town marathon at its finest. Train properly, register immediately after it opens, and you are in for a great experience. I've been to the mountain top - you should too.

Who cares about spectators when you're in such a majestic place?! The scenery is awe-inspiring, the volunteers & race officials are fantastic, EL Paso Co. Search & Rescue are THE BEST! This is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done in my life but I will be back. You MUST do this one.

I moved to Colo Spgs in 1981 and have run nine round-trips and one ascent. As a dedicated Marathoner, my entire racing/running foundation was centered on training for and running Pikes Peak. My 4:47 round trip is one of my proudest life accomplishments. Just training on Barr trail on a perfect Colorado Saturday morning was a life experience. I can still hear and smell and feel the beauty of that precious mountain. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.