All Discussions Tagged 'trail' - Pikes Peak Sports2024-03-29T07:37:03Zhttp://pikespeaksports.us/group/roadtrailrunning/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=trail&feed=yes&xn_auth=noSeth DeMoor and Brittany Charboneau win the Pikes Peak Marathontag:pikespeaksports.us,2020-08-24:5021591:Topic:8467022020-08-24T02:35:05.060ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588281485?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588281485?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650"></img></a></span></p>
<p><strong>Brittany Charboneau wins the Pikes Peak Marathon women's race.</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>By Tim Bergsten</strong></p>
<p><strong>PikesPeakSports.us</strong></p>
<p><span>MANITOU SPRINGS - Road racers. What are you going to do with them?</span></p>
<p><span>Brittany Charboneau who placed 13</span><span>th</span><span> in the…</span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588281485?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588281485?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></span></p>
<p><strong>Brittany Charboneau wins the Pikes Peak Marathon women's race.</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>By Tim Bergsten</strong></p>
<p><strong>PikesPeakSports.us</strong></p>
<p><span>MANITOU SPRINGS - Road racers. What are you going to do with them?</span></p>
<p><span>Brittany Charboneau who placed 13</span><span>th</span><span> in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February, says she was reluctant to try trail and mountain running because she was “afraid of nature.”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“When I started, we were on the local trails in Denver and there are rattlesnakes like crazy,” she says. “And I’m terrified of mountain </span><span>lions</span><span> and I’m terrified of bears.”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>One thing she </span><span>doesn’t</span><span> fear … the pain cave at 14,000 feet on Pikes Peak. Charboneau, a 28-year-old Denver resident, won the 65</span><span>th</span><span> Pikes Peak Marathon on Sunday. And she did it the hard way, by sticking with Allie </span><span>McLaughin</span><span> (who has the third-best Pikes Peak Ascent time in race </span><span>history) on</span><span> the 13-mile climb from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://pikespeakmarathon.org/results/ppm/2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Race Results</a></p>
<p><span>About 40 seconds separated the two when they made the turn at the top. From there, well </span><span>it’s</span><span> all downhill. And </span><span>that’s</span><span> where Charboneau won it. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“I practiced a lot of downhill running,” Charboneau said. “That’s my reward. I tell myself, you've earned this, so just fly.”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Charboneau reeled in McLaughlin and charged down Pikes Peak's rocky moonscape. On historic Ruxton Ave., the home stretch, she raised her hands to the sky and hit the finish in 4 hours, 25 minutes, and 21 seconds, the 10th fastest women's marathon time since 1976 when the race startling line was moved to Memorial Park in Manitou Springs. </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thefunnyrunner.com/?fbclid=IwAR0bokEuBkCekxtc3FAVus8Il7O7K4F9VLx4ymQdCXbiCjsrDlIUSA3ITog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brittany Charboneau's excellent blog: The Funny Runner</a></p>
<p><span>With or without the bears and mountain lions, the road racer has taken to the mountains and is undefeated in her first few races, including the 2019 Leadville Heavy Half. And she recently set the Fastest Known Time (5:15 and change) on the famed Four Pass Loop, 27 trail miles around the Maroon Bells 14ers with 8,000 feet of elevation gain.</span></p>
<p><span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8">"I’m</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> just having so much fun with it," she said. "Road racing is out of question this year, but I learned to love trails so much. They're so d</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2 SCXW158500172 BCX8">ifferent, but</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> I think they re</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2 SCXW158500172 BCX8">ally</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW158500172 BCX8">compliment</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> each other so well. </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8">I’m</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> using road strategies on trails, and</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2 SCXW158500172 BCX8">mentally,</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> all the work I do on the road is translating </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2 SCXW158500172 BCX8">really nicely</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW158500172 BCX8"> on trails."</span></span></span></p>
<p><span>Ashley Brasovan, 29, was third at the top, but a mad charge on the descent brought her home in second place in 4:34:59. McLaughlin, the 2014 Pikes Peak Ascent champion, crashed three times in the gravel and rocks while descending, but held on for third place and finished with her shins coated in blood. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“I just kind of loved today,” McLaughlin said, smiling as a medical team sewed up gashes in her left knee and right hip.</span></p>
<p>All runners endured tough conditions, including the usual August heat, plus smoky air fueled by four large wildfires in western Colorado.</p>
<p>"Those were some tough conditions," Brasovan said. "With three miles to go it felt like it was in the 90s and I was splashing water on myself and pouring it on my head."</p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588313879?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588313879?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a>In the men's race, father of four Seth DeMoor, 35, of Englewood, Colo., won with a time of 3:36:31, the 15</span><span>th</span><span> fastest time since 1976. DeMoor was first to the summit in 2:09:29, then held off David Sinclair (28, Truckee, Calif.) who closied with a fast descent. Sinclair finished second in 3:38:20, with Andy Wacker (31, Boulder) rolling in for third place at 3:44:58.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><strong>< DeMoor wins in 3:36:31 </strong></p>
<p><span>All three runners competed on the 2019 U.S. World Mountain Running Team, and DeMoor and Wacker were college cross country and track teammates at CU Boulder. They knew what to expect. Wacker would take an early lead and challenge everyone else to keep up.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> “I was pretty confident Andy would take off,” DeMoor said. “I caught him at Mile 2, and just started chugging. I had my game plan written on my arm – reminders for me to stay focused.”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>DeMoor's ascent time of 2:09:29 provided a big advantage as he bounced down Barr Trail's 16 Golden Stairs below the summit, gaining time on Sinclair and Wacker. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“Honestly, it was a great uphill effort,” he said. “I cut two minutes off my ascent time of last year. I felt </span><span>really strong</span><span> the whole way up. But I had a few little stomach issues downhill.”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeSHo5kTvzoik4STh7MuMCA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out Seth DeMoor's amazing race videos</a></p>
<p><span>Though he trailed the leader by seven minutes at the summit, Sinclair stormed down the mountain in 1:21:39 – the fastest descent of the day - to close the gap. DeMoor, meanwhile, was confident he could win, but there would be no early victory celebrations.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“They only thing I was aware of was I know he’s fast and I knew he’d be coming, but I also knew I had </span><span>a pretty good</span><span> lead,” DeMoor said.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span><strong>Running in a pandemic:</strong> After two years of hosting the Salomon Golden Trail World Series and the top mountain runners from around the world, the 2020 Pikes Peak Marathon looked much different during the Covid-19 pandemic. Organizers stripped away </span><span>nearly all</span><span> race activities and worked for months to ensure the safety of all runners. With a plan in place, Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. was granted permission to host the race by various state and local health and government agencies.</span></p>
<p><span>Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. had cancelled the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile & 10K Run in June, The Barr Trail Mountain Race in July, and the Pikes Peak Ascent, the same weekend as the the marathon. </span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588319854?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7588319854?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right"/></a>"They pulled it (the marathon) off and I commend the organization for letting us runners chase down our dreams in a crazy year,” DeMoor said.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Race organizers took every precaution to keep runners safe. ></strong></span></p>
<p><span>They could have easily called it and cancelled, but I think we’ve all learned a lot since the pandemic started around the world and across the U.S. You know, everything from masks to hand sanitizer to social </span><span>distancing</span><span>. It’s allowed us to become smarter as a global running community to pull off a race like this.”</span></p>
<p><span>The decision to host the event came with criticism from some long-time Pikes Peak runners concerned about the spread of Covid-19, the country’s most deadly pandemic in 100 years.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Women’s race winner Charboneau, however, was grateful for the opportunity. It meant a little more to win in such a challenging time.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“It does mean more because you have to think about how grateful I am that we’re able to run and compete,” she said. “We’re still able to run and they’re making it work and showing </span><span>adaptability</span><span> and I think they did such an amazing job being adaptable and just finding a new normal and making it happen for us.”</span><span> </span></p> Joe Gray will take the win, but looks forward to better daystag:pikespeaksports.us,2019-08-25:5021591:Topic:8423712019-08-25T01:34:24.258ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3446270631?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3446270631?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650"></img></a> By Bob Stephens</strong>, for PikesPeakSports.us</p>
<p>Joseph Gray nearly collapsed as he crossed the finish line at the summit of America’s Mountain. The world-class trail runner bested a large contingent of quality runners in the Pikes Peak Ascent, winning the prestigious race for the third time on Saturday, but he failed to achieve what has become…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3446270631?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3446270631?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" class="align-center"/></a>By Bob Stephens</strong>, for PikesPeakSports.us</p>
<p>Joseph Gray nearly collapsed as he crossed the finish line at the summit of America’s Mountain. The world-class trail runner bested a large contingent of quality runners in the Pikes Peak Ascent, winning the prestigious race for the third time on Saturday, but he failed to achieve what has become an elusive goal for him.</p>
<p>Gray said he was happy with the wire-to-wire victory—a challenge that began at 7 a.m. in Manitou Springs and culminated when he finished the 13.32-mile trek up rocky Pikes Peak—but he won’t truly be satisfied until he owns the Ascent record.</p>
<p><a href="https://thetcr.com/results/ppa/2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Race Results</a>** <a href="http://pikespeaksports.us/video/joe-gray-is-back-in-the-pikes-peak-ascent" target="_self">Pre-race video interview with Joe Gray</a></p>
<p>“This is probably the least satisfying win I’ve had here,” said the 35-year-old Gray, a Colorado Springs resident who also won the Ascent in 2016 and 2017. “I wanted to run a good time and I didn’t get that.”</p>
<p>The Ascent course climbs 7,815 feet and finishes at the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak. Gray, the 2016 World Mountain Running Champion, boasts the sixth-fastest Ascent time of 2:05:28, clocked in 2016.</p>
<p>This time he finished in 2:08:59, nearly eight minutes behind Matt Carpenter’s Ascent record of 2:01:06. Carpenter, a Manitou Springs resident, amazingly established the Ascent record in the same race that he set the Pikes Peak Marathon record of 3:16:39, back in 1993.</p>
<p>“It’s a little frustrating when you have a time in mind and don’t get it,” said Gray, who has entered the race four times. “I wanted the record.”</p>
<p>Fourth-place finisher Lindon Powell isn’t sure anyone will eclipse Carpenter’s records, either for the Ascent or the Marathon. Spain’s Kilian Jornet, who runs for the elite Team Salomon and is perhaps the world’s foremost trail runner, will take his best shot at both marks Sunday.</p>
<p>“Depending on what Kilian does Sunday, we’ll see,” Powell said. “When Carpenter set the record, the trail was in better shape and he didn’t have to pass as many people (still going up in the marathon) on his way down.”</p>
<p>Gray was virtually unchallenged en route to his victory.</p>
<p>“He was gone when we hit the dirt,” about a mile-and-a-half into the race," said runner-up Seth DeMoor. “I knew what Joe can do, so I didn’t try to keep up.”</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3446273108?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3446273108?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="250" class="align-left"/></a>DeMoor, from Englewood, Colo., finished in 2:12:45, with Galen Burrell of Louisville, Colo., third in 2:25:44. Powell, from Ashland, Ore., crossed the finish line in 2:26:47 while Kieran Nay of Monument, Colo., was fifth in 2:27:55. George Foster of Great Britain was sixth in 2:30:13 with Devin VansCoy of Eugene, Ore., taking seventh in 2:33:10.</p>
<p>Gray, who ran collegiately for Oklahoma State, led DeMoor by 88 seconds when he reached Barr Camp, and never looked back. He had jumped to the lead at the starting line and led the lead group up Manitou Avenue.</p>
<p>Asked if he was ever really challenged during the race, Gray said, “Not really.”</p>
<p>He proclaimed himself in “good fitness” but said he made some mistakes in his training leading up to the race.</p>
<p>“I came in a little over-cooked,” he said. “I had missed a lot of volume coming in and tried to make it up too close to the race—and I paid for it.”</p>
<p>The weather was good, with sunshine and 43 degrees greeting the runners at the summit. But it was windy, with a steady 30 mile-per-hour wind at the top of the mountain.</p>
<p>“It was by far the worst wind I’ve seen for this race,” Gray said. “The wind made it hard on everybody, but it was tough above A-Frame. The wind didn’t do us any favors today.”</p>
<p>DeMoor echoed that sentiment.</p>
<p>“The wind definitely hit us hard above the tree line,” he said.</p>
<p>Still, DeMoor was “very satisfied” with his third Ascent, having run in 2010 and 2017, when he finished third.</p>
<p>“I was hoping to maybe get under 2:10 but I have no excuses,” he said, after missing that mark by less than three minutes. “I was about nine minutes better than my previous (best time in the Ascent).”</p>
<p>Gray felt he could challenge Carpenter’s record when he won in 2016, but was four minutes off the mark. He followed that with another victory in 2017 in 2:08:19. That made him the first male repeat winner in the Ascent since Carpenter in 2001-02.</p>
<p>Gray, who is married with a 1-year-old child, is headed to Europe for his next two races, a World Cup event and a Red Bull team event, where he runs about 13 kilometers while his teammates are a mountain biker, paraglider and kayaker.</p> Look out Pikes Peak, here comes the worldtag:pikespeaksports.us,2019-08-22:5021591:Topic:8423422019-08-22T17:17:17.704ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3441889175?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3441889175?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650"></img></a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Jordi Saragossa photo</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>64th Pikes Peak Marathon fields are stacked</b></span></p>
<p><strong>From Tim Sweeney</strong>, Salomon Golden Trail World Series…</p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3441889175?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3441889175?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Jordi Saragossa photo</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>64th Pikes Peak Marathon fields are stacked</b></span></p>
<p><strong>From Tim Sweeney</strong>, Salomon Golden Trail World Series</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">The fifth race of the 2019 Golden Trail World Series is perhaps the most famed trail race on American soil, and this year the Pikes Peak Mountain Marathon will play host to the elite athletes of the sport. Spain’s Kilian Jornet (Team Salomon) leads an all-star cast from around the globe that will take to the starting line on Sunday morning, August 25</span><span style="font-weight: 500;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 500;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">The 42km race is the highest in altitude on the Golden Trail World Series. It begins and ends in Manitou Springs, Colorado and climbs 2,382 meters to an elevation of 4,302 meters—the top of the famed Pikes Peak. It’s also a race with a seemingly unbreakable course record. The men’s record time of 3:16:39 has stood since 1991.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">With Jornet on hand, as well as a deep field of elite runners in the women’s race, what is “unbreakable” may be called into question this weekend. The Spaniard is coming off a legendary performance two weeks ago at the ultra-competitive Sierre-Zinal race in Switzerland, where he shattered the 16-year-old course record by three minutes and 37 seconds and left behind a field of elite athletes from a variety of running disciplines. Pikes Peak, however, is a different animal.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">“Pikes Peak Marathon is one of the oldest mountain races,” said Jornet, ever a student of the sport. “The Ascent race dates from 1936 and the marathon from 1956. It was the third marathon in the US and the first one to allow women to participate. The race is very logical. Run up to the summit and down, and the history behind it is what attracted me to run there.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">The 2018 men’s race winner, Colorado native Dakota Jones (Team Salomon), will miss this year’s race due to injury, but a host of top talent will be there to throw their best effort at Jornet, who comes in as the clear favorite.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">Swiss star Rémi Bonnet (Team Salomon), who had strong races at Sierre-Zinal and the Marathon du Mont Blanc, will bring his considerable climbing skills to Pikes Peak. Two of Team Hoka’s top runners—Italy’s Francesco Puppi and Colorado resident Sage Canaday—will also look to crack the podium, and Mexico’s Juan Carlos Fererra (Team Buff) could also be heard from. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">France’s Thibaut Baronian (Team Salomon), who was 3</span><span style="font-weight: 500;">rd</span> <span style="font-weight: 500;">at Zegama, will also be in the hunt. Swiss athlete Marc Lauenstein (Team Salomon), a former winner at Pikes, is making a comeback from a foot injury and says he is full-go this weekend, while American trail veteran Max King (Team Salomon) will relish the rare chance to run on home soil against top European talent. Peruvian Jose Manuel Quispe (Team Lippi), who was the 2</span><span style="font-weight: 500;">nd</span> <span style="font-weight: 500;">runner to the top of the climb at the Dolomyth Runs in July, will also be looking for top result at Pikes. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">“When I ran here in 2012, I remember it was a fun race and it was great to feel the ambiance,” Jornet added. “It is a very runnable race, but it’s hard. The ascent is not big and isn’t steep either, but the altitude is a huge factor. Probably the key to being successful in the race is to be well acclimatized and to not start to strong because after that the altitude really hits you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">Last year, Salomon athlete and Colorado resident Megan Kimmel (Team Salomon) relied on her high altitude conditioning to break the women’s course record, winning in 4:15:04 to better the mark that had stood since 1981 by 14 seconds. Kimmel will not compete in this year’s race, but a top group of women will see if they can handle the altitude of Pikes and possibly challenge her record time. Maude Mathys (Team Salomon) is coming off a course record-breaking win on her home soil at Sierre-Zinal and her skills as a climber should send her to the front in the early going, and maybe to stay. Mathys was 3</span><span style="font-weight: 500;">rd</span> <span style="font-weight: 500;">at the Dolomyths Sky run in Italy as well.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">She will be challenged by a pair of Adidas TERREX runners in Great Britain’s Holy Page and Norway’s Yngvild Kasperson. Team Salomon athletes Eli Gordon (Spain) and Megan Mackenzie (South Africa) should also be in the chase for podium results, as will France’s Amandine Ferrato (Team Hoka One One).</span> <span style="font-weight: 500;"><br/></span><span style="font-weight: 500;"><br/></span><b>ABOUT THE GOLDEN TRAIL SERIES:</b><span style="font-weight: 500;"><br/></span><span style="font-weight: 500;">The elite runners of the Golden Trail World Series are trying to earn points in the season-long chase for a spot in the Grand Final, which will take place in Nepal in October. The athletes must participate in three of the six races during the series in order to be eligible for the final. The Top 10 men and women with the most points in their three best races will earn a trip for themselves and a person of their choice to the Grand Final. The overall final standings (and the men’s and women’s champions) of the Golden Trail World Series will be determined again by the runners’ three best finishes during the season, plus their result at the Grand Final. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;">For photos and more, visit</span> <a href="http://www.goldentrailseries.com"><span style="font-weight: 500;">www.goldentrailseries.com</span></a><span style="font-weight: 500;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 500;"> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goldentrailseries.com/results-2018/results-gtws-2019/"><span style="font-weight: 500;">For up-to-date Golden Trail World Series standings</span></a><span style="font-weight: 500;">. </span></p> For Arkansas runners, Pikes Peak is an annual tradition at altitudetag:pikespeaksports.us,2019-08-20:5021591:Topic:8421552019-08-20T12:41:05.318ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436747007?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436747007?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><b>The Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent has become a tradition for Arkansas runners.</b></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>By Jill Rothenberg</strong>, For Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc.</p>
<p>They come to race Pikes Peak from Alma, Van Buren, Fort Smith, Mountainburg, Springdale, Little Rock and other towns across the state of Arkansas, whose…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436747007?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436747007?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></strong></p>
<p><b>The Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent has become a tradition for Arkansas runners.</b></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>By Jill Rothenberg</strong>, For Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc.</p>
<p>They come to race Pikes Peak from Alma, Van Buren, Fort Smith, Mountainburg, Springdale, Little Rock and other towns across the state of Arkansas, whose highest peak is Mount Magazine, at 2,753 feet.</p>
<p>“We take different routes up the mountain to mix it up,” said Chris Wear, 42, of Fort Smith, a Peak veteran and Doubler, who first completed the marathon in 2013 with a time of 9:09:20.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436750692?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436750692?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-right"/></a>Five years later, after hours of training in the midday summer Arkansas humidity up and down Mt. Magazine and Oklahoma’s Cavanal Hill, at 2,385 feet, with heat indexes sometimes over 100 degrees, Wear shaved about 2 hours, 27 minutes off his marathon time: 6:42:57.</p>
<p>In a state not known for its altitude, Wear is one of dozens of Arkansas’s Pikes Peak finishers who have been inspired and trained by one of the state’s most accomplished ultra runners: Bill Coffelt.</p>
<p><strong>Chris Wear begins the 2018 Pikes Peak Marathon ></strong></p>
<p>At 60, he is running his 36th consecutive marathon in 2019. A Western States finisher and a frequent Pikes Peak Doubler, Coffelt helped start the Arkansas Pikes Peak Marathon Society.</p>
<p>“On the van ride back in that first year, 1984, there were five of us who were from Arkansas," Coffelt recalls. “And we started inviting more people. The next year we had twelve runners. The next year it was 30. And I think it was maybe 1998, we peaked and had about 200 people. We brought three busloads out.”</p>
<p>Arkansas runners, always dressed in Team Arkansas shirts and gear, continue to be a familiar sight on race days over the years, as runners and helpers at aid stations. </p>
<p>“The sense of community that we have is so strong,” Wear said. “Those of us on the western side of the state consider those runners in Little Rock to be some of our closest friends. And we’ll meet in between to train.”</p>
<p>Coffelt is the reason many of the Arkansas runners keep returning to Pikes Peak, Wear said. </p>
<p>His identical twin brother, Jonathan, 42, a six-time Pikes Peak Marathon finisher, agrees.</p>
<p>“Bill has done it so many times that he really just wants to help you do better on it, too,” he said. “There was a year we were running side by side, coming down the mountain two years ago, and he’s like 'come on, we’re going to get your PR.' And he was running down next to me, coaching me the whole time. And then when he got to the finish line, he wouldn’t cross before I crossed. He ended up pushing me over to make sure I crossed first.”</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436753614?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3436753614?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>As Coffelt remembered it, “I caught up with him at about A-Frame. And altitude had tickled him a bit. And he was going to coast down. And we got down to Barr Camp and I said, ‘we can beat this time.’ And if you start talking to someone when they’re running, it can take their mind off things.</p>
<p>Next thing you know we were down at No Name Creek and he was astonished that he was feeling better. And I said altitude does great things when you’re going downhill.”</p>
<p><strong>Jonathan Wear and Bill Coffelt get 'er done at the Pikes Peak Marathon ></strong></p>
<p>The fun of the race is in helping other runners do their best, Coffelt said. “Part of my goal is to bring someone out and mentor them and see them succeed than it is for me to say, ‘hey I broke seven hours this year.’”</p>
<p>Training in Arkansas often involves running in intense midday humidity, which can stretch into the evening. “When the four of us who are racing this year finished at the track a few nights ago at 8:30, the heat index was 105 in the dark, “ Wear said. </p>
<p>“Intense humidity stresses the body,” added Coffelt. “It’s not the same as running at altitude. But it still makes it harder to breathe. It’s just a different kind of stress.”</p>
<p>“Bill was crucial to my PR and of helping so many of us from Arkansas,” Wear said. “When you’re running on the mountain and you see someone wearing the Arkansas Marathon team shirt, it’s a real feeling of being a team.”</p>
<p>The Arkansas legacy continues with newer runners and those who are returning after years away. </p>
<p>“We’re on our way down Rackley Mountain Road in Mountainburg,” said Sandy Morrell, 46, of Alma, who was training for the Pikes Peak Ascent with a group who were running in 100-degree midday Arkansas heat with 100 percent humidity. “It’s so hot that we’re all pretty much soaked,” she said of the training run about a week and a half before the race. </p>
<p>Morrell’s first race on Pikes Peak was the 2018 Ascent, when runners were turned back at Barr Camp due to weather concerns. A runner of six years, she wanted to do a race with her son, who was returning from the Marine Corps. “The only way I knew I could get him to do it was to really challenge him. I really wanted to summit with him. We were together last year and didn’t get to the summit.” </p>
<p>Although Morrell’s son is home with a new baby, she has trained hard for her return to the mountain. “For me, I could not not go back and see if I can make it to the top,” she said. “Even though I’ve done 78 halves and four fulls, it really is the ultimate challenge for us. You have the altitude and you’re going straight up, which we don’t have here.”</p>
<p>Three friends from Alma, first-time Ascent runners, are joining her, and they are part of a larger group from Crawford County, Arkansas, she said. </p>
<p>Runner Donna Duerr, 64, of Little Rock, is headed back to Pikes Peak to run the Marathon after years away, having first done the race in 1992. </p>
<p>She is determined to finish this year. </p>
<p>Her qualifier was Arkansas’s long-running Ouachita Trail 50K. And living part-time near Winter Park, Colo., at 8,300 feet, she ran a lot at altitude to prepare for this year’s race.</p>
<p>“I thought this would be the year when I could do it,” she said. “And it could be the last year I’m able to do it. But at least I’m going to give it a shot.”</p> Changes ahead for Pikes Peak Marathon Inc. racestag:pikespeaksports.us,2018-10-31:5021591:Topic:8119862018-10-31T16:09:32.227ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434626?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434626?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350"></img></a> <strong>From the Pikes Peak Marathon</strong></p>
<p>Changes are coming to Pikes Peak Marathon Inc. and its family of races in 2019.</p>
<p><strong>Here are the highlights.</strong></p>
<p><em>The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon will be held on Aug. 24 and 25 next year</em>, one week later than the traditional weekend. There are several reasons for this…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434626?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434626?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="350" class="align-right"/></a><strong>From the Pikes Peak Marathon</strong></p>
<p>Changes are coming to Pikes Peak Marathon Inc. and its family of races in 2019.</p>
<p><strong>Here are the highlights.</strong></p>
<p><em>The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon will be held on Aug. 24 and 25 next year</em>, one week later than the traditional weekend. There are several reasons for this change.</p>
<ul>
<li>Late August will see fewer tourists and less congestion in Manitou Springs and on the Pikes Peak Highway, where construction of the new Pikes Peak Summit House has disrupted traffic flow. Transporting ascent runners from the summit back to the starting area in Manitou Springs is expected be an easier and more enjoyable experience for all.</li>
<li>The race date will no longer conflict with the popular Leadville 100, a famous ultra race that, like the Pikes Peak races, attracts the attention of many runners, race fans and the media. And the new date fits with the broader U.S. and international mountain-running schedules.</li>
<li>Hotel bookings/cost should become easier and less expensive for out-of-town guests.</li>
<li>Reduced chance of dangerous weather, including lightning and heavy rain. August is Colorado Springs’ wettest month with an average of 3.35 inches of rain, but there is an average decrease in moisture later in the month. (September’s average rainfall is 1.18 inches.)</li>
</ul>
<p>“The safety of our runners is always our first concern,” says Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent Race Director Ron Ilgen. “Though we’re moving the race date by only a week in 2019, the chances of unfavorable weather are reduced. And we’ll continue to access the possibility of moving to a permanent date in September.”</p>
<p><strong>Our 2019 race schedule</strong></p>
<p><em>The Barr Trail Mountain Race date moved back one week.</em></p>
<ul>
<li>Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run & 10K: Sunday, June 9</li>
<li>Summer Roundup Half Marathon and 10K: Sunday, July 14</li>
<li>Barr Trail Mountain Race: Sunday, July 28</li>
<li>Pikes Peak Ascent: Saturday, Aug. 24</li>
<li>Pikes Peak Marathon (Salomon Golden Trail Series race): Sunday, Aug. 25</li>
</ul>
<p>“We felt it was important to provide some time between our races,” Ilgen says. “In previous years, the Summer Roundup and Barr Trail Mountain Race fell on consecutive weekends. We think this will give runners a better opportunity to compete in both, and it gives our race staff the chance to recuperate and get organized between events.”</p>
<p><strong>Race Registration</strong></p>
<p><em>Race registration for all events opens on Jan.1, 2019.</em></p>
<p>Celebrate the New Year and set some race goals with us!</p>
<p>“We realize that runners make their plans and begin training early in the year, and it’s a competitive market with many great races on the calendar,” Ilgen says. “We think our events and race courses are some of the best in the U.S. We want to give our customers the chance to sign up early and begin their journey to the beautiful Garden of the Gods and the challenge of Barr Trail and Pikes Peak.”</p> Dakota Jones blazes the descent to win Pikes Peak Marathontag:pikespeaksports.us,2018-08-20:5021591:Topic:8066442018-08-20T03:28:39.563ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432481?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432481?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a> Dakota Jones warmed up for the Pikes Peak Marathon by riding his bicycle 250 miles from Silverton to Manitou Springs to raise money for his favorite nonprofit agency, Protect Our Winters.</p>
<p>“I got here Wednesday, and raised several thousand dollars by riding here on my bicycle,” he said. “That means a lot to me.”</p>
<p>Winning Sunday’s Pikes Peak Marathon meant a lot,…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432481?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432481?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-center"/></a>Dakota Jones warmed up for the Pikes Peak Marathon by riding his bicycle 250 miles from Silverton to Manitou Springs to raise money for his favorite nonprofit agency, Protect Our Winters.</p>
<p>“I got here Wednesday, and raised several thousand dollars by riding here on my bicycle,” he said. “That means a lot to me.”</p>
<p>Winning Sunday’s Pikes Peak Marathon meant a lot, too, as Jones showed genuine emotion when discussing what winning the prestigious race on America’s Mountain meant to him, especially after fighting through injuries a year ago.</p>
<p>“This is huge for me,” said the 27-year-old who lives in Durango. “The Pikes Peak Marathon is one of the most famous races in the world. To be on the list with the guys who have won it is an honor.</p>
<p>“There are only a few days like this where everything comes together in a big race. It feels great that I stuck with it through some injuries, and it’s great to be part of this (running) community.”</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432987?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="280" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432987?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="280" class="align-right"/></a>His winning time of 3 hours, 32 minutes, 19 seconds came in his first competitive trip up and down Pikes Peak. He was about 16 minutes slower than Matt Carpenter’s race record, although he did eclipse Carpenter’s Pikes Peak Marathon descent record, running down the mountain in 1:13:53.</p>
<p><strong>Twelve-time winner of the Pikes Peak Marathon, Matt Carpenter (far right) and Jones discussed the big day at the finish line.</strong></p>
<p>Jones’ time was exactly five minutes ahead of runner-up Oriol Coll of Spain. Darren Thomas of Steamboat Springs, who grew up in Colorado Springs, was third in 3:37:34 with Stian Angermund-Vik of Norway fourth in 3:37:48. David Sinclair of Peru, Vermont, was fifth in 3:38:04.</p>
<p>Jones figured since he lives in Colorado, he had an advantage over most of the runners because he trains at altitude. He had run Pikes Peak before, but never in the Marathon.</p>
<p>“I was fifth when I got above the tree line (at A-frame) and was working my way closer to the leaders,” he said. “I didn’t speed up; I was staying consistent, staying steady. When I got to the summit, I was about a minute behind.”</p>
<p>He was confident at that point.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to seem arrogant, but I have a good downhill,” he said. “I stopped at the summit and took two cups of water.”</p>
<p>Jones hit his stride on the way down.</p>
<p>“I was flying where it was smooth and flat,” he said. “I caught Darren Thomas at the tree line.”</p>
<p>Thomas, who finished third in 2016 and second last year, also couldn’t hold off Coll, who passed him with a couple miles left.</p>
<p>“I’m disappointed and satisfied,” Thomas said. “I had a (personal record) by 10 minutes, so I’m happy with the time. I pushed a little hard on the uphill and was aggressive.”</p>
<p>When he reached the summit, Thomas said, “I thought I would win. But Dakota caught me about two miles down from the summit. I had felt good but I had a rough downhill. I was stumbling and I fell one time. Maybe I was dehydrated.”</p>
<p>Coll, 23, was ecstatic with second place, especially considering this was just his third marathon and he doesn’t train at altitude much. At the summit, he figured Jones would win.</p>
<p>“I saw he was strong at the top and figured the altitude wasn’t a problem for him,” Coll said.</p>
<p>Jones isn’t competing in the Golden Trail Series sponsored by Salomon but Coll is, and said his runner-up finish will vault him into the top 10 of the standings.</p>
<p>Jones was thrilled with his victory, especially when he recalled the dark days of 2014 when he wasn’t fulfilled by running.</p>
<p>“I dropped out of two 100-mile races,” he said. “I just didn’t have the ‘want to’ that I needed any more.”</p>
<p>He worked through that, continued to run and found himself Sunday atop the podium of a race he’d long dreamed of winning.</p>
<p>“It’s been a nine-year journey to get here, with a lot of questions when I was hurt or wasn’t winning,” he said. “I was hurt a lot last year (mostly a hamstring injury) and that might’ve been a problem with over-training. I cut back on training and now I do a yoga and strengthening routine, and a lot of biking.”</p>
<p>He should enjoy the bike ride home even more after his big run on America’s Mountain.</p> Eritrean runner earns a surprise victory in abbreviated Pikes Peak Ascenttag:pikespeaksports.us,2018-08-19:5021591:Topic:8066222018-08-19T01:53:21.205ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434439?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434439?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650"></img></a> Azerya Weldemariam is relieved that he set the pace to Barr Camp in Saturday’s Pikes Peak Ascent, the annual run to the top of America’s Mountain.</p>
<p>When Weldemariam reached Barr Camp – normally just past the halfway point of the Ascent – the gritty 39-year-old trail runner learned he was the winner of the prestigious race, which had been shortened to about 7.6 miles due…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434439?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434439?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650" class="align-center"/></a>Azerya Weldemariam is relieved that he set the pace to Barr Camp in Saturday’s Pikes Peak Ascent, the annual run to the top of America’s Mountain.</p>
<p>When Weldemariam reached Barr Camp – normally just past the halfway point of the Ascent – the gritty 39-year-old trail runner learned he was the winner of the prestigious race, which had been shortened to about 7.6 miles due to predicted inclement weather at the summit.</p>
<p>“When they stopped us, I was confused,” Weldemariam said. “They said the race was over; that was a surprise to me. My goal was to run to the top and be first.”</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656439105?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656439105?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>He was warming up not too far from the starting line after arriving an hour before the race’s 7 a.m. start time, but never heard the news about the race being altered.</p>
<p>A native of eastern Africa, Weldemariam has lived in Colorado Springs for a little more than two years. He has a working grasp of the English language, but is less than fluent.</p>
<p>“I talked to him after the race and he didn’t realize we were stopping (at Barr Camp),” said Great Britain’s Alex Pilcher, who finished third. “He was pacing himself, so he could’ve gone faster.”</p>
<p>Weldemariam figured he had almost six miles remaining in the climb to the summit that challenges runners with a 7,815-foot elevation gain over the course of 13.32 miles. But with weather at the summit threatening safety of the runners, the race course was altered for the first time.</p>
<p>Weldemariam agreed with the call.</p>
<p>“It makes sense to me,” he said.</p>
<p>Weldemariam’s winning time of 1:06:26 was more than two minutes ahead of runner-up Ondrej Fejfar, 29, of the Czech Republic, who finished in 1:08:42. Pilcher was timed in 1:09:15. Galen Burrell of Louisville, Colo., was fourth in 1:09:46 with Andy Wacker of Boulder fifth in 1:10:43.</p>
<p>Weldemariam is a native of Eritrea, a northeast African country on the Red Sea coast. A strong uphill runner, he first ran the Ascent in 2014 and finished second. He has “doubled” by racing in the Ascent and the Pikes Peak Marathon on consecutive days each of the last two years. He will also run Sunday’s Marathon.</p>
<p>“We only ran half the race (Saturday),” he said, “so I’m not tired.”</p>
<p>He expects to win the Triple Crown series, which includes races where he was fourth in the Garden of the Gods 10-mile run in June and winner of the Summer Roundup Trail Run half marathon at Cheyenne Mountain State Park in July.</p>
<p>He was sixth in the Ascent last year and fourth in the Marathon.</p>
<p>“I’m improved from last year,” he said. “I’ve been training harder.”</p>
<p>As first-time participants, Fejfar and Pilcher were more disappointed than the champion that the race was shortened, although neither figured to catch the winner.</p>
<p>“(Weldemariam) is very experienced here and is used to the altitude,” said Pilcher, 33, whose highest training usually comes at 3,000-foot elevation. “I felt (the effect of) that altitude, and knew I would.”</p>
<p>Wacker was leading the race through “three or four kilometers,” Fejfar said, but developed troubles and “puked up,” Pilcher noted.</p>
<p>Wacker led Weldemariam by 18 seconds when they reached Hydro Street, with the eventual winner clocking 7:39 at that point, just one second behind legendary Matt Carpenter’s time at Hydro Street when he set the Ascent record of 2:01:06 while running 3:16:39 to win the 1993 Marathon.</p>
<p>Last year, Weldemariam ran the Ascent in 2:31:10 and hit Barr Camp at 1:06:10, which is 16 seconds faster than he finished in Saturday’s race.</p>
<p>Pilcher, who said he “is more of a 10,000-meter runner,” figured the shorter race “probably played to my strength.”</p>
<p>It also forced runners to alter their race strategy.</p>
<p>“Psychologically, you set yourself up for a challenge (of reaching the summit) and you have to change structure to go out faster,” he said. “It was anticlimactic. I haven’t been to the top, but I’d been to Barr Camp since I got here a week ago.”</p>
<p>Fejfar had spent the night at Barr Camp earlier in the week and run to the summit, but he was just as disappointed that weather forced the change in distance.</p>
<p>“I wanted to try something new,” he said. “I hadn’t been over about 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) elevation. The changed course made it like a normal race.”</p>
<p>Fejfar is a member of the Czech Republic national team that was first in the World Mountain Running Association Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in the Polish town of Karpacz on June 24. The Czech Republic edged the United States team – which included Wacker – with powerhouse Italy a distant third.</p>
<p>Fejfar will spend next week training in Boulder, before returning to his hometown of Vrchlabi. He said this trip cost about $5,000 – some of it covered by sponsors, including Inov-8, who also sponsors Manitou Springs’ Pete Maksimow, whom Fejfar stayed with this past week.</p>
<p>The 29-year-old Czech said he will write about his Ascent experience for Run magazine in his country, along with a few websites and his Facebook page.</p>
<p>Both Fejfar and Pilcher said they plan to return next year and run the Ascent again.</p>
<p>“I will take the shuttle up (later) today and see this famous road (to the summit),” Fejfar said about an hour after finishing the race. “When I ran to the top earlier this week, I was surprised by the railway station and the big parking area. I went to sleep last night dreaming of running all the way to the top. Maybe next time.”</p>
<p> </p> Defending champion Mascarenas faces tough field in Pikes Peak Marathontag:pikespeaksports.us,2018-08-11:5021591:Topic:8058452018-08-11T16:47:27.549ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432166?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432166?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300"></img></a> Dunking both feet in a 5-gallon ice bucket and eating a pint of Snickerdoodle ice cream has become the nightly habit for Tina Mascarenas.</p>
<p>She does the former because her ankles were hurt in a fall during a race on Mount Olympus in Greece in late June, and the latter because she craves ice cream about as much as she loves science and running.</p>
<p>Mascarenes has a lot…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432166?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432166?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>Dunking both feet in a 5-gallon ice bucket and eating a pint of Snickerdoodle ice cream has become the nightly habit for Tina Mascarenas.</p>
<p>She does the former because her ankles were hurt in a fall during a race on Mount Olympus in Greece in late June, and the latter because she craves ice cream about as much as she loves science and running.</p>
<p>Mascarenes has a lot going on these days. She just started a new job with DNA Connections, putting to use the biochemistry degree she earned at UCCS. And she’s getting married Sept. 9. In between those life-changing events she’ll defend her championship at the Pikes Peak Marathon on Aug. 19.</p>
<p>She didn’t expect to win last year, although she’d finished third in 2016.</p>
<p>“I thought I was competing for top five,” she said. “I think I had the best day of my life.”</p>
<p>It will take an even better day to win this year. The 29-year-old Doherty High graduate says a repeat victory isn’t realistic with the world-class Salomon runners who are part of the Golden Trail Series competing this year and insists that her goal is to finish in the top 10.</p>
<p>“The ladies who are coming are insanely fast,” she said. “They’ve done (Pikes Peak) and they’ve beaten my time by over 10 minutes.”</p>
<p>Mascarenas crushed the marathon’s downhill record last year – zooming down in 1:29:43, nearly 7 minutes faster than Courtney Dauwalter of Golden, and nearly 18 minutes faster than ascent leader Jackie Pirtle-Hall of St. Charles, Mo. Mascarenas beat Dauwalter by 47 seconds and Pirtle-Hall by 7:09 to win the women’s division. That trio finished 11th, 12th and 14th overall.</p>
<p>Still, Mascarenas was 23 minutes slower than the longstanding women’s record on America’s Mountain of 4:15:18 set in 1981 by Lynn Bjorklund.</p>
<p>Mascarenas, who isn’t as strong on the uphill portion, figures to be chasing the likes of two former Pikes Peak Marathon champions, Emelie Forsberg of Sweden, and Stevie Kremer of Crested Butte, who narrowly missed the women's course record in 2013, plus former Pikes Peak Ascent champion Megan Kimmel of Carbondale, and several other experienced European mountain runners who are part of the Golden Trail Series and the Salomon team.</p>
<p>“Compared to what they’re used to, Pikes Peak is extremely runnable, so I think they’re going to be fast,” Mascarenas said. “What I want is a (personal record) for me.”</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432398?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="325" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432398?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="325" class="align-right"/></a>Her fiancé, Eric Oberlander, figures she can win again, but he’s just a bit biased.</p>
<p>“I know how competitive she is and she has a drive to get better,” he said. “She’s always finding better foods to assist in her running.”</p>
<p>She has a self-proclaimed Type A personality, which is confirmed by Oberlander and her older brother Jesse, who got her into running four years ago. When she scoffed at his 13-minute mile above the tree line on Pikes Peak, he bet she couldn’t do it. If she couldn’t, according to the bet, she had to quit smoking her usual 15-20 cigarettes a day.</p>
<p>She qualified for the Pikes Peak Ascent by running the Triple Crown series but her best mile near the summit was about 17 minutes. She slowly stopped smoking, and quickly replaced that habit with running. Like Forrest Gump, she now can’t seem to stop.</p>
<p>She averages 60 miles a week, often goes 70 or 80 and topped out at 100, though much of that was on the Peak and wore her down. Still, she finished sixth in the Olympus Marathon in Greece despite her fall on the downhill.</p>
<p>A gymnast from age 8 to 15, she’s a skilled athlete from a competitive family. Her sister Megan, 20, has won three climbing World Cups and her sister Alexis, 25, has reached the semifinals. Jesse is her running partner along with his longtime friend, Mike Martinez, and can still beat her, though not by a lot.</p>
<p>“Tina’s tough, she’s got that grit,” Jesse said. “Diet, training, she’s always tweaking something and finding out what works for her. She’s really passionate and has that addictive personality. If she’s in, she’s in 100 percent. When she did gymnastics, she was training 30 hours a week in the gym and taking an ambulance ride once a month. Now it’s like that with her running schedule; she can tell you where and what she’s running next month on a Tuesday.”</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656435693?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="325" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656435693?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="325" class="align-left"/></a>She recently won the Barr Trail Mountain Race but was conservative on the downhill, protecting her left ankle.</p>
<p>Mascarenas figures she has at least seven years left to run competitively and increase her ability. She’d like to qualify for the U.S. Trail Running team and compete in the European series.</p>
<p>“I don’t feel like I’m at the level where I can let running dictate my life yet,” she said. “Maybe one day, if I can figure out my uphill running, if I can be a stronger runner, then it would be worth traveling and trying to be competitive in more international races.”</p>
<p>Next year, she wants to do better in local races and “smash all my times in races I’ve previously done.”</p>
<p>Her and Eric have enjoyed a few trips around the United States, and now to Greece, as she competes.</p>
<p>“Travel and adventure are what we want,” she said. “I use races as an excuse to go to awesome places, like Greece. I said I’d signed up for that race and he said, ‘Shucks, I have to go get Euros.’ I’d like to pick one a year, like Thailand next year, and they have really good rock climbing too. I try to pick a place that has both. Climbing is Eric’s main jam.”</p>
<p>They met six years ago at a rock climbing gym, back before Mascarenas even thought about running competitively. Now, besides the new job and the impending nuptials, America’s Mountain dominates her thoughts.</p> It's 'game on' for runners in the 2018 Triple Crown of Runningtag:pikespeaksports.us,2018-03-09:5021591:Topic:7973722018-03-09T18:39:36.391ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432465?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432465?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650"></img></a> <strong>Joe Gray on his way to winning the 2017 Pikes Peak Ascent. (Photo by Bryan Oller)</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>It’s early springtime at the foot of Pikes Peak and mountain runners are building base miles and burning their legs on the hills in preparation for a year of racing.</p>
<p>But the new running season will take on a sense of urgency at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 10, as…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432465?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432465?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="650" class="align-center"/></a><strong>Joe Gray on his way to winning the 2017 Pikes Peak Ascent. (Photo by Bryan Oller)</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>It’s early springtime at the foot of Pikes Peak and mountain runners are building base miles and burning their legs on the hills in preparation for a year of racing.</p>
<p>But the new running season will take on a sense of urgency at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 10, as <a href="http://pikespeakmarathon.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online registration</a> begins for the Triple Crown of Running. Longtime participants know it’s “game on” when they enter these events, an historic series of races held on the Pikes Peak region’s world-famous running courses.</p>
<p>The 2018 Triple Crown lineup:</p>
<ul>
<li>June 10: The <a href="http://gardentenmile.com/">Garden of the Gods 10 Mile & 10K Run</a></li>
<li>July 8: <a href="http://summerroundup.com/">Summer Roundup Half Marathon & 10K</a></li>
<li>18-19: <a href="http://pikespeakmarathon.org/">Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Registration for the July 15 <a href="http://barrtrailmountainrace.com/">Barr Trail Mountain Race</a> also opens on March 10.</p>
<p>Here are the early headlines as the Pikes Peak Marathon office begins to simmer with activity.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432182?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="280" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432182?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="280" class="align-right"/></a>Salomon’s Golden Trail Series comes to Pikes Peak</strong></p>
<p>The Pikes Peak Marathon has always attracted the top mountain runners in the world. But the international field promises to be extraordinary this year as the marathon will be part of the new <a href="http://email.fusesport.com/wf/click?upn=4NelNZwylj89yWF7YN7XYTauZ9SlcxYdXyqE-2FxZQrwX1pFS3ikX3lVF50lCKud7JetAgGOYu4xAp88-2FvAN8XRQecWnbgvNGaamQ8xQehdxhoy7WKzQKXY2fwlliPkjQB_VPE0mlgwbA4D55EVVStF3qTIfxEwkv3kGpDKs8kSjXWZNCcGvF8qPy5NVzQzt6XUCHVlZZqktL3aHAroanNJW5Z9cj20Wdd208GzxRqnZbiw3AeeFZtlxaJpIznFtDxuy559WzOJJxeaINE39gdDCvfFKLwxkq-2FqAX5dGvZSnkopjtydsBXmnkhUtKN-2Fw792bX3bRTajwj6U7WuAQTNtT-2BBZSIqZVAatSdWb1AS3W-2FY-3D">Salomon Golden Trail Series</a>.</p>
<p>Men and women mountain runners will compete for a Top-10 position in the series and an invitation to the Grand Finale, the Otter Trail in South Africa.</p>
<p>The series begins on May 27th with the Zegama – Aizkorri Marathon in Spain. Next stop is the Mont Blanc Marathon in France on July 1, followed by Sierre-Zinal, Aug. 12, in Switzerland. The Pikes Peak Marathon takes the stage on <span>Aug. 19</span>, with Scotland’s Ring of Steall Skyrace (Sept. 15) representing the last chance for runners to secure an invitation to the Oct. 20 Grand Finale.</p>
<p>The race on “America’s Mountain” will enjoy an historic moment as it captures the attention of the global mountain-running community. “We are proud to have been chosen as one of the five prestigious international races for Salomon’s Golden Trail Series,” says Ron Ilgen, Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. President. “It shows that the Pikes Peak Marathon continues to be one of the top mountain races in world.”</p>
<p>The series is already attracting high-caliber U.S. runners. Salomon reports that Max King, Sage Canaday, Dakota Jones and Megan Kimmel have indicated they’ll take on Pikes Peak, and its unforgiving climb to 14,115 feet elevation and back down. An impressive number of world-class international runners, including Salomon’s Emelie Forsberg, the 2012 Pikes Peak Marathon women’s champion, are scheduled to race as well.</p>
<p>The Top 10 after five races (runners must run in at least three) will advance to the finale in October, with each finalist invited to bring a friend or partner. The Grand Finale will also present the twenty athletes with the opportunity to support a cause of their choosing, and share about $123,000 in prize money.</p>
<p>Sticking to its commitment to clean sport, Salomon is promising strict drug testing at all series races.</p>
<p>“We applaud Salomon’s desire to attract the best mountain runners to compete in a true world-championship finale event, while also ensuring drug-free competition,” Ilgen said.</p>
<p><strong>Qualify with an ultra:</strong> New this year, runners may use their time in an ultra race (50K or longer after Jan. 1, 2016) to enter Pikes Peak. Finishing times that are faster than twice the overall winner’s time will work as a qualifier.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434986?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="250" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656434986?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250" class="align-left"/></a>New range to run at the Summer Roundup</strong><br/> Big changes are coming for the 2018 Summer Roundup. The second leg of the Triple Crown of Running will feature a trail half marathon at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. With a gorgeous circuit of foothills trails and an accommodating start/finish area, event organizers hope the race has found its forever home on the slopes and ridges below Cheyenne Mountain.</p>
<p>The new course hits the park’s high points (1,900 feet elevation gain,) sweeping gently through dark pine forests and rambling across rocky ridgelines. The trails are smooth and runnable, with a few sections of rock-hoping. The start and finish are located near the Limekiln Trailhead, which has space for 400 cars. Carpooling is encouraged.</p>
<p>“We’ve talked for a long time about doing something big with the Summer Roundup,” says race director Tim Bergsten. “Cheyenne Mountain State Park is a popular place to run, and it fits the profile of the Triple Crown and its history of great events on beautiful race courses. The half marathon will be a challenge, same as the Garden 10 and the Pikes Peak races, but doable by any reasonably fit runner.”</p>
<p>And at $40 (through May) the race is one of the most affordable half marathons on the race calendar. There is a 10K option ($30) for veterans and newcomers looking for a challenge. Those using the Triple Crown as a Pikes Peak qualifier should be aware that the cutoff time for the Summer Roundup half marathon is 3 hours, 30 minutes.</p>
<p>Cheyenne Mountain State Park opened in June 2,000. It includes 2,701 acres at the base of Cheyenne Mountain and a 20-mile network of trails.</p>
<p>“There is a special bond between the runners and this unique landscape we call home,” Bergsten said. “Our roots are in these foothills. Cheyenne Mountain State Park is a part of that connection. This is us.”</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656436230?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="280" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656436230?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="280" class="align-right"/></a>The 42<sup>nd</sup> Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run & 10K</strong></p>
<p>Race organizers introduced a new course with a new finish line at Rock Ledge Ranch last year. Afterward, the verdict came quickly. Everyone loved the new format, the new course, and the Garden of the Gods Run Fest after party.</p>
<p>So we’re going to do it all again with some adjustments: Better traffic flow before the race, quicker pizza lines at the finish, and enough beer for everyone at the Run Fest.</p>
<p>“We think of this race as the ‘Perfect 10,’ and we’re working toward that,” Bergsten said. “There is no reason this event should not be one of the best – and most popular - road races in the game. The Garden of the Gods has been recognized as the top park in the country (by TripAdvisor,) we have an iconic course, and the finish at Rock Ledge Ranch with the barns, livestock, and beautiful grounds, is unique and fun.”</p>
<p>The Run Fest will bring running organizations and the outdoor community together to increase recognition and support for the Garden of the Gods Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing and protecting the park. The Garden of the Gods was donated to the city in 1909.</p>
<p>We’ve attempted to contact the black bear that meandered into the middle of the race last year. We’ll let you know if he has plans for an encore performance.</p> Angel Brock notched 100th marathon finish at Pikes Peak, and she's not donetag:pikespeaksports.us,2017-12-30:5021591:Topic:7915982017-12-30T21:08:59.556ZTim Bergstenhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/TimBergsten
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432693?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432693?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300"></img></a> When it was time for Angel Brock to choose the marathon that would be her 100th, she came home to the Pikes Peak Marathon, the race that challenges her the most.</p>
<p>And while the round-trip to Pikes Peak's 14,115-foot summit and back is a goal race for many, Brock wasn't done. Since then she has completed three more marathons and now hopes to qualify for Boston and New…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432693?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656432693?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right"/></a>When it was time for Angel Brock to choose the marathon that would be her 100th, she came home to the Pikes Peak Marathon, the race that challenges her the most.</p>
<p>And while the round-trip to Pikes Peak's 14,115-foot summit and back is a goal race for many, Brock wasn't done. Since then she has completed three more marathons and now hopes to qualify for Boston and New York.</p>
<p>Brock has also knocked off a 100-mile ultra, the Rocky Raccoon 100 in Texas, and finished multiple 100K, 50-mile and 50K races. She once ran three marathon’s in three days. And she has peppered her resume with seven Pikes Peak “doubles” - running the Ascent on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday. Brock, 48, accomplished all of that and much more in nine years. She has lived in Las Vegas, Nev., San Angelo, Texas, and Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., but Fountain has been her home for the past 19 years. Her running story began as any story should … with ice cream. You can tell she had fun answering our questions.</p>
<p><strong>The 2017 Pikes Peak Marathon was your 100th marathon. That's a lot of miles. How did this journey begin?</strong> August, 2008, I was eating a sundae talking with my cousin Connie. She told me she had to run 10 miles later, I didn't know people ran that far! She told me she had already completed two marathons. She had to tell me what a marathon was. I was blown away. No way could I ever do that! After all, I hated running. She then told me there was this thing called a half marathon. Something just clicked ... maybe it was a high from the hot fudge, but I thought, "I could do this."</p>
<p>I had turned 39 in June and I thought it would be a good goal for my 40th birthday and a great way to get my heart healthy as I was not active at all. The next day I went to a running store in Las Vegas and got fitted for shoes. Two days later when I got home I started the Couch to 5K program. My first 5K was the Komen Race for the Cure in Colorado Springs. I remember race packet pick-up instructions where I was supposed to pick up a bib. I couldn't figure out why they would be giving away baby bibs. I still smile every time I pick up a race bib.</p>
<p><strong>More than a few runners are one-and-done after their first marathon. What kept you moving and motivated to train and race? </strong>That's a good one! My sister told me about the Zappos Half Marathon in Las Vegas (at that time it was in the morning in December.) It was sooner than expected, but how cool would it be to run where I once grew up? I finished my first half marathon in December, 2008, six months ahead of my 40th birthday. After another hot fudge sundae, I figured since I had all the extra time, I might as well train for a full. I did honestly think it would be a "one-and-done" event for me! I even guilted my mom into coming to watch the historic event. I laugh about it now, my mom quit coming to my marathons after the fifteenth or sixteenth one. I also said no more after my first Ironman finish and Pikes Peak Double. I am motivated to train because I sign up for races - a lot of races - and I hate to waste money! Also if I call it "training" instead of running, it takes the sting out of it, that and wearing cute running skirts! I also have a treasure chest full of medals I adore! My Pikes Peak medals though are proudly displayed on my wall. </p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656436541?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="250" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656436541?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250" class="align-right"/></a>Why did you choose Pikes Peak for No. 100? </strong>The timing fit ... lol. Really, I chose Pikes Peak Marathon because it is my favorite marathon. It is the most challenging marathon I accomplish every year. I chose Pikes Peak because back in 2009, when I learned of the Pikes Peak Marathon, I told my cousin, Connie, I would NEVER do that one, those people were crazy! Of course, there Connie and I stood in 2010 at the start line of our first Pikes Peak Marathon! My friends and family no longer believe me when I say "I will never do that," as I also said that about Ironman and the 100 miler. And my friends (David, Joy, Patti, Robin, Beth) wanted to be here to help me celebrate and participate in the races.</p>
<p><strong>Tell us about your favorite moments from Pikes Peak 2017.</strong> Some of my favorite moments are John O'Neill (from the Colorado Running Company) giving me a special tank to wear for the race with "Pikes Peak is my 100th Marathon" on the back. My friends (some from Texas) coming to celebrate the weekend with me. My friends presented me with a gift after I finished Pikes Peak Marathon - couldn't believe it and it made me cry - they had all chipped in and bought me the Garmin 935 watch. Even my tri coach and friend, Nate Dicks chipped in so that he might finally get some data on my training..lol</p>
<p>Running the Ascent with Robin and Beth and getting beat by Robin by 1 stinking second! Marathon race day and all the sweetest runners and volunteers congratulating me!</p>
<p><strong>You're running down the Ws and then Ruxton Ave. to the finish. How are you feeling and what are you thinking? </strong>I'm feeling some relief of no longer having to navigate roots/rocks, relief that I will make the time cut off, and a bit nauseous as I was running max effort down the hill to the finish. My lungs and legs were asking me to stop and walk it in, and, as always, my heart took over to the finish. I was thinking that I had lied earlier in the day around A-frame when I told myself (for the seventh time) that if I made it before the cutoff I wouldn't have to run Pikes Peak again. The people who embroider my Pikes Peak Marathon jacket every year do it small so there is plenty of room for many more years. I was thinking how grateful I was to have my friends and family to cheer me on, how grateful I am for my ability to do these types of races, I was thinking about how lucky I was to be able to finish my eighth Pikes Peak Marathon and seventh Double, and without injury! I was thinking how special the moment/accomplishment was and how I had accomplished the goals set for 2017 up to that point. I was thinking about all the friends I have made and all the cool places and states I have also got to run . I was also thinking about what I was going to eat for supper and dessert(s) :)</p>
<p><strong>And this was your eighth Pikes Peak marathon finish and seventh double. What keeps you coming back to Pikes Peak? </strong>The snacks at the aid stations! Pickles, red grapes, and Coca Cola always taste better on the mountain! I am "geared" for challenges. I would feel guilty not doing the Pikes Peak Marathon because I have the ability to do it and, like I said, I hate wasting! Of all my accomplishments, my jacket with the race years embroidered always gets the most respect and kudos when I wear it to out of state races. That makes me proud of myself. One time I was looking at Pikes Peak from Fountain and I commented to my son Jack, then about age 9, that I couldn't believe I had run Pikes Peak. And my son said, "I can, because you're my Mom!" This still makes me smile.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656442580?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="250" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2656442580?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250" class="align-left"/></a>If you could relive any moment in your running career, what would it be? </strong>The Bear Chase 100K finish, 2013. Cutoff time 15 hours, which was a challenge. The only other 100K I did took me about 22 hours. I was fighting cutoffs the last 24 miles or so. I was the last one on course with my pacer, Joy. The volunteers were radioing ahead, they sent a cyclist out to see if I was "running." They wanted to pull me from the race. I kept running only because of my friend, Joy. I didn't want to disappoint her and cut her "pacing" miles with me short. I was on pace to miss the cutoff by about 10 minutes. The last three-to-four miles I just kept jogging trying to be at peace with finishing after the cut off. I just wanted to be done. When I neared the finish, maybe 1/4-mile away, I hear yelling. They are yelling at me to move, run! I look at my Garmin ... I was shocked. I had a couple of minutes before the 15-hour cutoff. I RUN - probably a 14-minute pace, but felt like 6-minute pace. Wait, I don't know what a 6-minute pace feels like. Maybe like a 9-minute pace. I finished in 14:59:10 and won the "Bearly Finished" trophy, probably to the disappointment of the second-to-last finisher. </p>
<p><strong>What other races do you enjoy and why? </strong>I enjoy the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon because I think it's cool to run past the Circus Circus where I used to go as a kid, even lived next door to the guy who built the Circus Circus sign. I have also enjoy the Cowtown 50K in Fort Worth and the Route 66 Marathon with the Center of the Universe Detour in Tulsa, Okla. I also enjoy Ironman, the Florida Ironman is my favorite because I really do feel like I am on vacation when I'm there!</p>
<p><strong>What are your favorite running trails in the Pikes Peak Region?</strong> I do most of my training indoors now in my garage while watching Netflix and Youtube ... I know ... I do like Barr Trail and I like the trail behind Fountain Regional Park. There are a few trails around my neighborhood in Fountain I like.</p>
<p><strong>103 marathons down and what comes next?</strong> Trying to get into Boston and New York. I qualified (twice) this year for Boston, but missed entry by 1:45 under my qualifying time. I would like to run a marathon in every state and Washington, D.C. I will do some of it the "hard way," meaning by doing an Ironman in states I have not collected yet. This is how I collected Idaho, Wisconsin, and Florida. Next year I hope to collect Kentucky. And of course hopefully finish my eighth Pikes Peak double in 2018.</p>