Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Apr 29, 2024

Pikes Peak Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Pikes Peak Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.9

Organization 4.9

Spectators 4.1

Number of comments: 60 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > ]

S. S. from Ft. Collins, CO (8/27/2008) ""This is freaking crazy!"" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pikes Peak Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 ...But in a good way, of course. ;-) This was my 12th marathon, and it tops them all in terms of adventure, excitement, difficulty, and accomplishment. And I've done some other tough ones too (Leadville, Bataan come to mind). As had been mentioned, the weather for 2008 was incredibly bad. A low-pressure system came down from Canada and parked itself over Colorado for the entire weekend. The storm wreaked havoc on the ascent the day before the marathon, forcing the race officials to call off the race about half way through, primarily due to lightning above timberline. Conditions on Sunday for the marathon were much better, but still not very good. It was near freezing at the top, and it snowed and rained on me during the descent. Luckily there was very little wind to contend with, and I was able to stay dry for the entire ascent. The trail itself was in good shape until about one mile from the summit. From there it was ice and snow-covered and fairly treacherous. I got some good advice about what to wear that day, and I'll share it here. Note that I don't mind running in cold temperatures. Shoes: Montrail trail running shoes and wicking socks. You could probably get away with normal running shoes if they are not too slippery; the trail is not that rocky, but when wet or icy or snow-covered, it will be treacherous. Legs: Light-weight loose-fitting running pants with weather-resistant front. I probably made a mistake here; the pants were a little too warm, and then they got soaked and did not dry out. I'd recommend sticking with shorts if you can handle the cold, or going with tights that would dry out faster. Body: Short-sleeve tech shirt, long-sleeve tech shirt, light-weight wind breaker, cheap poncho, trash bag. I started the race with the short sleeves only. Above timberline I put on the long-sleeve and the wind breaker, and I was able to stay warm enough even through the temperature was near freezing. The trick is to keep moving and stay warm! I went back to short sleeves with about 5 miles to go. I didn't use the poncho or the trash bag, and I could have used one or the other during the descent when I got rained on, but I figured I was heading down anyway so I didn't mind getting a little wet. That may have been an error; I got very wet. Head: Sunglasses, visor, lightweight winter hat. I put the winter hat on at timberline and took it off again below timberline. I left the visor on over the hat to help deflect snow and rain from my face; I'm sure that looked sexy! Sunglasses and a visor are very important in case it gets sunny up there. You can really cook your eyeballs at that altitude. And don't forget the sunscreen! Hands: Fingerless bike gloves, both for warmth and protection. I put the gloves on at timberline. Above timberline and even below, there are some big rock steps on the trail, and it's useful to be able to put your hands on rocks for stability and support. Having gloves on will help keep your hands from getting scraped up. And should you trip and fall, the gloves will also help protect against abrasion. Having fingers free was nice because it allowed me better access to energy gels and zippers and stuff, although it was a little colder. Gloves with a removable mitten part might be ideal for this. Provisions: There are 5 or 6 aid stations on the course, with water, Gatorade, and snacks, but I felt it would be smart to bring my own water and energy gels. I packed a Camelbak with 48 ounces of water, and packed 5 energy gels. Even though I stopped at every aid station both up and down, I still nearly finished my Camelbak, and I did eat all my gels. I highly recommend bringing your own water at least. It is easy to get dehydrated at high altitude, and on such a long excursion. I saw a lot of people with a small water bottle that they could refill at the aid stations, which looks like a good idea. Now I knew that the weather would be rotten that day; but weather on the mountain is extremely variable. When you do this race, it would be smart to pack some warm gear even if the weather looks beautiful at the start. Unless your name is Matt Carpenter, you will be spending a lot of time up there, plenty of time for the weather to change from beautiful to baleful. But that's part of what makes this race special! If you have a thirst for adventure, I heartily recommend this race. The course is unbelievably beautiful, and the support staff is incredible. Support for this race is serious business - real search and rescue stuff! They have my respect. Of course there are not many spectators but the last half mile or so you do get some enthusiastic crowds cheering you on to the finish. The post-race support is excellent as well. You will never forget your experience on the mountain; I hope to run it again next year!
Nick Whiteside from O'Fallon, IL (8/26/2008) "Humbling, Inspiring, Life Changing" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Pikes Peak Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 With 32 years of competitive running behind me, this year's Pikes Peak Ascent was the most physically challenging, brutal conditions I have ever experienced in a race. From Manitou Springs to the A-Frame, around 10 miles up, it rained on us the entire way. Above the timber line, the temperature dropped from the low 50s to below freezing, with 25-30 mph winds and pelting sleet. I have never been so cold in all of my life! The conditions were rapidly deteriorating. In fact, because of the weather, more than 900 runners were not given the choice and were turned around at the A-Frame. I was one of the lucky ones, just barely fast enough to continue the adventure. The final three miles was ice and snow and thunder - marching, power walking, trying to circumvent slush puddles, slipping on snow-packed rocks, trying to maintain enough warmth literally to survive. Was it scary? Yes. I was so humbled by the power of Mother Nature on the mountain. The rippling thunder was intense; as I looked down on the clouds I could not distinguish if the thunder was below me or above me! The last 60 minutes to the summit were surreal, with hands and arms going numb and blinding snow leveling visibility to less than 25 feet. And then another GREAT volunteer was there bundled in Arctic gear, welcoming us to the 16 Golden Stairs, the final rite of passage to the summit finish. On Sunday I completed my first Pikes Peak Double. The weather was cool in the upper 40s at the 6,300-foot start and there was no rain, a major positive that made me feel more optimistic! I was better prepared this time, with a small suitcase (butt pack) of warm clothes. This time we trail runners and power walkers were greeted with a peaceful, delicate, light snow, which for my position in the adventure, started falling about 4 miles from the summit. Above the timber line, the intensity of the snow really began to pick up, but it was so beautiful! I continued to feel optimistic. The wind was not as vicious and I had a long-sleeve polar tech shirt that I took out of my suitcase along with a second pair of gloves. I made it through the snow, the most technical (rocky and tree roots) parts of Barr Trail and managed better than I have in the past as a flat-lander the effects of altitude making my head swim. Why would anyone want to do this? It is hard to explain how Pikes Peak emotionally stirs me, but it does. This mountain is part of my running identity, so much so that although it will take my battered legs still days to recover, I do not doubt that I will return to challenge myself again for future Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon adventures, America's true Ultimate Challenge.
T. S. from Seattle, WA (8/25/2008) "Even Tougher Than I Expected" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pikes Peak Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 23rd marathon, and 18th state. This time, however, I knew I was in for a battle. I could hardly believe the rule of taking your flatland marathon time, add 30 minutes to it and that would give you a rough estimate of your Peak time... for the ascent portion only. I still needed to run down! For me, it's amazing how correct that was. I am now a believer. I will not repeat the comments of the beauty and unusual nature of this marathon - all true. I will say that the race website is plainly the best I have ever used. There is great detail on the course, as well as how to train and what to expect. There are some loyal followers of this race who lurk on the website message board that are very helpful and readily share tips. Matt Carpenter's book on preparing exclusively for this course pretty much tipped me off that I was in for something different. It was immensely helpful in setting realistic expectations in regards to which this marathon is in a class all of its own.
D. B. from Atlanta, Georgia (8/22/2008) "Holy cow, what a great marathon!!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pikes Peak Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 1. Great town full of friendly folks and marathon staff! All the volunteers are the real heros here!! 2. Bring warm, winter running clothes to put on for the final 3 miles of the climb! Gators to keep rocks out of your shoes would be a good idea too. 3. It took me 8:20 to run the 26.2 miles but it was so surreal to be climbing this giant 13-mile mountain that the hours of quad pain flew by! 4. Would love to come back to improve my time next year! (Maybe do the double!!) 5. Never been in a more quiet marathon (this was number 34) - everyone was concentrating on going up, and up, and up, and not talking! 6. Everyone who wants to do a completely different sort of marathon should do this one; just remember to train hard and race easy!!
R. J. from Bedford, NH (8/21/2008) "Awesome organization" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Pikes Peak Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Although I did not run the marathon this year, I did run the half marathon on Saturday. The weather was horrific! There was rain and lightning at the 7 a.m. start. Temperatures were falling, from 50 degrees at the start to below 30 degrees above the treeline. Sleet, snow, high winds, and more lightning from 10 miles to the summit. Definitely life-threatening conditions above the treeline. I reached the A-Frame at 10,200 feet in about 2:50, thoroughly unprepared for those conditions. No hat, gloves, pants, windbreaker, etc. I was warned that the weather was getting worse... if you can believe that, and was told to turn around if I was very cold. I grabbed a trash bag and put that over me and continued to run another 10 minutes, but finally decided that I should turn around in order to preserve my health. It was a tough decision, but the race director discontinued the race about 10 minutes after that and about 1,200 others were turned around. All I can say is this: The race director made the correct decision. It took guts for the director to make that decision. But he just may have saved one or more lives. No one perished, and we all can say I giant "Thank you" to the race director. It was a perfect race, organizationally! Great volunteers, excellent aid stations, informative people, enthusiastic volunteers, great technical finisher shirts and medals, and a terrific relationship with the towns' people and the Pike's Peak staff. Everyone worked together to put on a terrific race. Thank you all! I'll be back next year and will probably run the marathon. Heck, I ran about 21 miles of the course during the half marathon. Ps. I did run the 1989 Pike's Peak Marathon in 1989. The race organization was just as good back then too.
D. Z. from San Diego (8/18/2008) "Challenging and Awesome" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pikes Peak Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This run is by far the hardest marathon I've run and lives up to the "Ultimate Challenge" name. The trail isn't rolling; it's all up and all down. Coming from San Diego (sea level) added more challenge with the thin air. I never thought I'd find myself running in snow and ice at 14,000 feet. I blew my BQ time around mile 9, ha ha. The town of Manitou Springs was great and the volunteers were very helpful and friendly - thanks to all. This was a great experience and well worth the time spent training and traveling to take on the challenge. Best memory: giving a high-five to a 4-foot snowman around 13,000 feet on the way down.
D. B. from Temple, TX (8/17/2008) "The volunteers were the best!" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It rained and it snowed, but the volunteers covered the course as well as anyone could have expected. They were helpful and friendly in some miserable conditions. A big thank you to the volunteers from the runners.
S. A. from Colorado (3/21/2008) "tough, beautiful, exhilarating." (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 Pikes Peak Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a tough, beautiful and exhilarating mountain trail marathon that builds character with each year one runs it. Reaching the top is a great feeling, but even though the rest is "all downhill from there," it is grueling with a few little uphills! The camaraderie is great, the competition is tough, and the organizers do such a great job. It is my favorite.
Ulrich Walter from Kemmern, Germany (3/9/2008) "Great race - perfect organization - lovely people" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pikes Peak Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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!
T. G. from Washington, DC (1/15/2008) "WOW" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pikes Peak Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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!!

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > ]

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use