My second running of the Pikes Peak Marathon. I was a little concerned getting into Colorado Springs on Friday as it had been raining for most of the day. I figured that unless it stopped soon it would make for some very bad course conditions come Sunday. Saturday morning was cloudy, but rain free. I was able to get up early enough to see the runners that were doing the Ascent run. They sent them off in two waves & the last wave had people that were walking right from the start. I think these folks had no intention of running, but a goal of just hiking to the top - which would probably take them 8 hours at a brisk pace. They would then get bused down. It was a good atmosphere with the local residents providing some support on the streets of Manitou Springs. This is only possible for about the first 2 or 3 miles as after that the course becomes a hiking trial & the runners are on their own (except for the water stations & volunteers).

Saturday afternoon and evening brought even more rain. So I spent some time shopping the local sports stores for rain gear. I had this fear that come Sunday I would be running up & down this muddy, slippery, dangerous mountain in the rain & would for sure end up slipping and breaking something. So, just to play it safe I bought a "rain resistant/repellent" type windbreaker. At each place I went I also asked for any type of "grip gear" or "running spikes" that could be put on running shoes for better traction. At each place I was told what I already really knew - there ain't no such thing.

Sunday morning came & when I looked outside - no rain. As I got dressed & ready for the race, it became obvious that it was actually going to be a nice day. Since the difference in temperatures between the top & bottom is around 20 degrees I needed to be ready for both. It's shorts and tight fitting tech shirt with the LVM21 club shirt over that & the jacket around the waist ready to be put on once I get above the tree line. I also have a cap, lite gloves and an ear warming headband ready for deployment. My motel was about a mile from the start so I walked the distance. Like last year, I carry no water or energy food. I rely on what they're providing at the aid stations & it works for me.

The atmosphere at the starting line is kind of a friendly, casual, small town event. There are no timing chips. Being a trail race in very rough terrain it would not be possible to use timing mats anyway. I also noticed the trademark of trail races - the little gators were out in full force again, along with camel backs & other liquid carrying items. The man that fired the starting gun was an older Native American gentleman by the name of Steve who had won the event 6 times in the past. Along with the marathoners (running up & down Pikes Peak) were some doublers, runners that had run the ascent (running up Pikes Peak & getting bused back down) & were now also doing the marathon. A great way to double your pain. The marathoners have to deal with two way traffic on the trail since we use the same trail to go up as we use to come down.

The race starts out relatively flat in the streets of downtown Manitou Springs, but then goes up a very steep street by the name of Ruxton. This is the street that takes the runners to the trailhead that goes to the summit. When we hit the steepest part of this street, we all break into a hike. All of us that are normal anyway. The winner of the race finished in about 3:33. So I'm sure he & the top finishers didn't have time to hike any portion of the course. It turns out that despite two days of rain the trail is in very good condition. It is actually better then if it had not rained as all the loose gravel is no longer so loose, and there is no mud to worry about. The best of both worlds.

Just like last time I find I'm unable or unwilling to make myself go any faster on the ascent. It's not just the "death march" mentality of falling into what everybody else is doing or not being able to pass due to the narrow hiking path. Physically or mentally it's just not there to go any faster. It's frustrating because at almost any given point I can look back & say I could have or should have pushed harder. But obviously if I REALLY could have, I would have. There were about 7 water stations on the course. Well stocked and manned by friendly volunteers. I find that I'm stopping at each station without even thinking about & spending around 5 minutes drinking and eating.

The course is very scenic & I think gets even better once you get above the tree line. It's also at this point that the jacket, gloves, cap, & headband start to get used. Above the tree line you can not only see the forested mountain and towns below, but you can also see the peak above. This year it's a much clearer day & you can see the runners ahead of you as they snake their way up to the top, becoming little dots of color as they get higher up the mountain. It's both awesome & discouraging at the same time as you realize just how far away from the top you still are. This year we also saw a herd of mountain sheep cross the trail of runners. I was two switchbacks up but heard the commotion & was able to see them before they disappeared - probably less then 30 seconds & they were gone. Very cool.

At the top they take a tag from your bib, record your time, offer you water aid station stuff & then you can start back down. Runners going down have priority, so those coming up have to hug the mountain to get out of the way of those going down. Unless you're the lead dog, it can become very time consuming the closer you get to the top. You're constantly getting out of the way & unable to get any kind of rhythm going. On the way down it's your turn to be the problem as runners now should try to get out your way. The run down the mountain is where I was once again able to do better. This time I was in better control & did not let my feet get going too fast. I was able to get down without incident. My time going up was 4:48 and my time coming down was 2:53. I was actually able to beat my time from last year by exactly 2 minutes. I consider it a success as I was less prepared this year than last year. Toward the end (last mile or two) I was really running out of steam & was ready to start walking to the finish line, but the crowd got me to pick it up again. They basicly made it possible for me to be able to say I did better this year than last year.

(PS - Also got two "cool shirt" comments regarding the LVM21 club shirt.)

Lite Horse

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