Pikes Peak Marathon

I wish I could train more but I live in the desert now. Love this race, the people and the trail is just the best. Weather is always different and it presents a real life challenge.

The good: If you're looking for a challenge...this is it! This was my 50th marathon and was the most difficult by far. I've run hilly marathons before (Boston, San Francisco, Athens) but nothing could prepare me for this. It took all the strength I could muster to finish, but I'm glad I stuck it out. The organizers did a great job with the aid stations too. They were well-stocked with flat coke, grapes, M&M's, pretzels, etc... And the volunteers were awesome too. Manitou Springs is a very cool town, and the post-race street party was a great way to recover after the race. The bad: I'm not sure how a marathon could miss this...but they did not have any photographers at the finish line! Are you kidding me?!?! I just tortured myself for 8 hours finishing the toughest race of my life, and I don't even have a picture of me crossing the finish line. To make it worse, I brought my kids with me and they ran across the finish line with me...what a priceless memory that I don't even have a picture of. Ridiculous! Even 5K's have photographers at the finish line. And they didn't have a photographer at the summit either. So after busting my balls to get to the summit...there's no picture to capture the accomplishment. And then I make my way to the finish and cross the line with my kids...and no picture. HUGE LET DOWN! Overall this is a good race to do if you're up for the challenge, but I find it absolutely ridiculous regarding the lack of pictures.

I'm local, so my view of this race is inherently biased. I trained on-course at least 2 to 3 times weekly from November the previous year right until the race. I wouldn't recommend anything less, and for flatlanders: hills, or an inclined treadmill. Don't worry about altitude but DO train on an incline. My Ascent time was roughly 30 mins faster than my flat marathon PR. But in general, a person can estimate their finish time by adding 30 mins to their marathon time for the uphill, and then add another 67% of the uphill time for the downhill. If you can take your eyes off the trail for a few, you'll have an amazing view from the top!! The course director and support was superior to any other marathon I have done. Delicious food at the end. If you are dedicated and want to experience a unique opportunity, this is the race.