Recently I participated in the Pikes Peak Marathon in Manitou Springs, CO. Unlike the signature statement of a person I once knew, this was not “just another First, when the entry form asked for the specific name of a completed marathon in order to be eligible, I knew I was in trouble. Information included in the entry confirmation booklet detailing the dangers of lightning on the mountain with rules such as: “You will be disqualified for taking oxygen on the course” certainly made me feel more at ease. With an official Pikes Peak Marathon web site full of more warnings than those on a California spray paint can, I was certain the race would be a walk in the park.
Basically, I have to admit that the course really does have only one uphill. OK, it is over 13.1 miles with an elevation gain of 7815 feet from the start at 6295 to summit at 14110! With my minimal training at sea level over the past couple months, I felt ready for the challenges of “the Peak”.
By all accounts, the weather on this particular race day was perfect. The temperature at the start was near 50 degrees while at the summit it was in the low 30’s. Chilly in the trees and warm above the tree line at 12000 feet, the day was actually quite pleasant.
The way up was, well, challenging. My motto quickly became “Walk early and walk often”. After maintaining a good pace for the first ten miles, I took nearly the same amount of time to complete the last three miles to the summit. As I have been known to do in a couple of previous events, I stopped along the route to cheer on my fellow competitors (and to catch my breath!).
Once I reached the summit at 14110 feet, I certainly was not going to head back down straightaway so I took some photos, visited the Summit House, and even bought a couple gifts at the shop. There was also an “Oxygen Bar” but wearing a marathon number I did not want to get too close for fear of being DQ’ed!
The way back down to the finish was uneventful, but looking over the scenery was quite breathtaking. It was difficult to believe that only a few short hours before we had all ascended to such a height and were now on our way home.
My time? Who really cares?? I felt fortunate to have completed the distance with no lingering negative consequences.
Even though I was the person actually on the mountain, for me no effort of a scale such as this is completed without the help of others. In addition to those in AREC who helped me train for the Pikes Peak Marathon, I want to thank my on-site mountain and ground support Dr. Stacy Greenspan and Sue Bell for their patience and understanding. And, as always, a heartfelt thank you to Margaret Everitt for making sure that all went smoothly in the Shore during my absence.
The Pikes Peak Marathon is definitely a very well organized event to be savoured. Believe it or not, this event and the even more popular 13.1 mile Ascent held the day before always fill up early. For information on next August’s events, be sure to visit www.pikespeakmarathon.org.
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This page created on December 6, 2006 by Emmett D. Rahl.