Pikes Peak Ascent - 13.32 mile trail race - 7,815 elevation gain
Manitou Springs, CO - Saturday, August 21, 2010

Course: Starts in Manitou Springs on Manitou Avenue. Up a couple small hills to Ruxton Ave. Up Ruxton, past Hydro Street, then very steeply up until it connects with a trail at about the 1.3 mile mark. A short stretch on this trail and it connects with Barr Trail. Barr Trail goes to the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,115'. The trail can be broken down to four sections. First 3 miles to No Name Creek is very steep and mostly single track. This area is called the W's by locals because of the numerous switchbacks. Next 3 miles to Barr Camp has some areas of less steep terrain and the trail is wider in many places. Next 3 miles to the A-frame at timberline is steep, rocky and mostly singletrack. Last 3 miles is all above timber line, very steep and lots of rocks, the last mile is very difficult. The average grade is about 12% and except for a few hundred yards the entire course is uphill.

Weather: Upper 50s at the start, warming to the upper 60s in the first couple of miles, then cooling to the low 40s at the top. Sunny and very little wind.


Why PPA?

I've lived in Colorado Springs almost 31 years. I've hiked the Peak a few times and can remember being amazed at the runners training up there while I was gasping for air. I never gave this race much thought until I discovered I qualified for Wave 1. Figuring as long as I was in the first wave I should do it now before I don't qualify.

Training for the Peak is much different than a regular road race. A good finish time for what is just longer than a half marathon is a normal road marathon time, plus 10 minutes. Registration requires an expected time and my estimated time was 3:45. The main reason for this is most of the race is held on a very steep and rocky trail. Another big difference is the race is all uphill and has a huge elevation gain. Finally, the summit is 14,115 feet and that makes the air much thinner.

I hadn't even hiked on the Peak in over 10 years. I did all my lower Peak training runs starting from Memorial Park in Manitou Springs where the race starts, instead of from the trailhead. This meant the first mile was on pavement before getting to the trail. My first training run was up to No Name Creek and back. I decided to run very easy and slow. I wanted to see if I could maintain a running motion all the way up. I did OK, but at around 3 miles I had to start taking short walk breaks. The steepness makes it very difficult to run. I had also started this run in the late morning on what was becoming a hot day. The dirt on the lower trail absorbed the heat and made it seem like running in a furnace. After getting to No Name, I turned around and ran all the way back. That turned out to be a mistake as running down very steep hills is very tough on the body. As this was only an 8 mile run I didn't carry any water either as I normally don't carry water until I run 12 miles or more. The heat and the fact that running on the steep terrain takes far longer than normal running made me realize that was a mistake. Lesson learned!

Training run number 2 was going to be up to Barr Camp about 7 miles up, but I planned to walk down. Vicki decided to hike up with the dogs and would meet me on my way down. I carried a bottle of water that I planned to refill at Barr Camp. Kept the same slow and easy pace, took some walk breaks when needed and discovered some decent areas where actual running was possible about 5 miles up. I got up to Barr Camp and sat for a minute, then asked the caretaker where the water pump was so I could refill my bottle. He replied, "How long has it been since you've been up here? We no longer have a pump, but you can fill your bottle in the stream if you have a filter, or we can sell you a filter." Well that sucked! Apparently the water pump hadn't been there for about 7 years. But as Vicki was carrying extra water in a backpack I figured I could just make it back to her for the water. So I jogged back down the trail and in a few miles we met. She had the water and then we hiked back down. Once again the heat on the lower trail was high and the dogs really struggled.

Training run 3 was much different. I drove up the Pikes Peak Highway to the summit. There is a training workout called a 3-2-1. Down 3 miles, back up to the top, down 2 miles, back up, etc. So off I went, going very slow on the down, then running as much as possible on the up. There are many areas where scrambling over rocks makes running impossible, and the last mile at the top is mostly this way. I ended up only doing the 3 & 2 as it's not really possible to run the last mile anyway and I didn't see the point of doing the 1. I discovered while running up on top how much colder it is. Good thing I wore a light jacket as the temps plus the strong wind made the windchill in the low 30s. Even though I did this on a Tuesday, I was surprised to see many other people doing the 3-2-1 workout up there, including people I knew.

That was going to be my last training run on the Peak, but then I got to thinking maybe I needed to do the part of the trail between Barr Camp and timberline. So once again I started from the bottom and ran up. This would be 10 miles up and 10 down - a 20 miler. 20 miles is much farther than is normal for a 13 mile race, but there was no other good way to see what this section of trail was like. This time I wore my Camelbak with 50 oz of water. I went slow and easy and the miles went by. I was glad I was only going to timberline as the wind up above was howling. I jogged slowly back down. I think it was very helpful knowing what to expect on this section of trail.

For you flatlanders, this is kind of what it's like. Run on a treadmill with the incline set to vary between 12-14. Then every few minutes, get off and do a few minutes of step aerobics using an 18 inch step. Repeat for a few hours while steadily reducing the amount of oxygen. It's like that - only harder!

All this training was done in addition to the normal training and racing I was doing all summer.

Race day.

I got up and had my normal breakfast of OJ, vitamins/supplements, cinnamon raisin bagel with honey and coffee. Gathered up my race supplies. I was using a gelbot with three servings topped off with water to make it less viscous, and a hand held water bottle. I also had a small fanny pack with a Tyvek jacket and some running gloves in case the weather was cold on top. I wore a short sleeve tech shirt and Race Ready shorts.

I left the house early figuring I could get a decent place to park close to the start. When I got there apparently everyone else had the same idea and I had to park at a school about a mile away and up a steep hill. I was thinking that would be a real joy to walk to after the race!

I met a few friends while milling about near the start. Saw a bunch of other people I know from other races. I did an easy warmup run up Manitou Ave. to Ruxton and back - about a mile. Had a cup of water to top off my hydration and took my place in the pack.

I was standing in the pack next to a couple I know from my tri club and we chatted. After a very nice rendition of America the Beautiful, the starting command was given and off we went.

The run up Maniou Ave. was pretty much like the start of any race. A couple small hills, but not enough to slow down. However, after turning on Ruxton the hill gets steeper and within a few blocks people were starting to labor a bit. I kept a decent pace without really pushing and was passing lots of people. Just past Hydro Street, Ruxton gets very steep and lots of people were reduced to walking. I was able to maintain a solid running motion, albeit not real fast. At the top of Ruxton the course diverted to a narrow trail and a couple hundred yards later was the first aid station, but I just kept chugging. Now that it was narrowed down to singletrack, I was forced to walk when people ahead of me walked. That was OK and I expected it. This section is not a place to push hard anyway. For the next couple of miles I was passed by a few people when the trail widened, and I passed some as well. Just kept maintaining, but it was getting hot and I was sweating profusely. I took a few hits off my water bottle as needed. Just before getting up to No Name Creek there is a small section of downhill for about a hundred yards, immediately followed by a very steep, rocky section. I ran hard on this short down, then walked the up while I took my first serving of gel. Just above No Name was another aid station and I grabbed a cup of water. At this point the trail enters a nice forested area that is very shaded and cooler. Now I started working on catching and passing people who had gone by me earlier. I was mostly maintaining a good running motion throughout this section, and when the trail leveled out a bit around mile 5 or so I was able to run strongly. I don't recall being passed in this area. The trail gets steeper and rockier as it nears Barr Camp and people started bunching up a little. At the Barr Camp aid station I topped off my water bottle and had a cup as well while I had another serving of gel. After that I pushed hard for the next half mile and passed several more. Then the trail once again got much steeper and rocky, and it was slow going. Now a few people were passing me again. I ended up going back and forth with some of these people for the next several miles. Somewhere around mile 9 there was some guy standing on a rock cheering very loudly as the runners went by. Shortly after I could hear the race announcer calling out the winner almost 4 miles up. Amazing how sounds carries up here! At mile 10 was the A-frame/Timberline shelter and another aid station. One more serving of gel, some water and I topped off my bottle again. At the aid stations they had pitchers of water and would fill a bottle as the runners went by. Now the trail was out in the open above timberline. I could feel the wind, but it wasn't real strong so I wasn't going to need the jacket. Mile 11 has some areas that can be run decently and I tried to maintain a decent pace - as in not walking. However, I was starting to wear down and was beginning to walk more than I had anticipated. But when I walked I was trying to go as fast as possible and at times I passed people who were trying to maintain a running motion. Mile 12 has less areas for good running and by now almost everyone was reduced to mostly walking. Still the thing is to keep moving forward and not stop to rest as some people were forced to do. I got to the last aid station at The Cirque - a steep dropoff of a few thousand feet, but not close to the trail - and had a cup of water. At the one mile to go mark a group of people were sitting on the rocks above the trail playing kazoos. The last mile is almost nothing but stepups over rocks and a bit of scrambling up some of the steeper areas. Just kept pushing. The end was near and I knew there was a place to run right near the end. I stayed behind a couple of people for the last half mile and passed them both in that area.

As I approached the finish I could hear my name being called out. I made it! Crossed the line, had the race medal placed around my neck and I drifted over to the bag check area for my warm, dry clothes. I only stayed at the finish for maybe 10 minutes, then got on a shuttle that goes halfway down the highway and transferred to a bus back to the start area. Finishers shirts were there, as well as some post race food and a nice beer garden with great local microbrews. I enjoyed some beer and chatted with people sitting near me. A few of them had recalled me passing them.

My official time was 3:34:16. I beat my estimated time by almost 11 minutes. 20/141 AG and 263/1715 OA.

I was pretty happy with the results. For a first timer in this race it was a solid race. I ended up beating several guys who always beat me in regular road races. A couple guys who normally run about my pace finished almost 2 hours behind me.

Now that I've finished the Ascent, I am qualified to run the Marathon next year. It's held the day after the Ascent. There are some people who do both races. If I do either of these races in the future I think I'll spend a bit more time doing training on the upper section. I think I could take off at least 20 minutes with some solid Peak training. Plus running downhill under control on steep rocky trails is a skill I would need to master. Many people crash during the downhill of the Marathon and the med tent at the finish looks like a triage unit.

With both Vicki and me being currently unemployed, my racing is going to become very limited. I have one more race left in a 6 race series and there area a few free races the running club does. I'll keep up my training and hope the job situation makes a positive turn very soon. I had wanted to do a half marathon on Labor Day, but it looks like that isn't going to happen. Of course, maybe I'll win the Lotto!