Monday, August 23, 2010

Pike's Peak Race Report


Another nice race report form Rick and Jan:

Jan and I did the Pike's Peak Ascent (the course goes from Manitou Springs to the summit) this Saturday, 8/21 (it's held the day before the Sunday Marathon). Maybe a bit warm on the starting switchbacks, but nice cool breezes further up and clear skies all day. The race is a little more than a half marathon long and climbs about 7800 feet to the summit. About 1800 runners do the ascent, and it has two waves that start a half hour apart. Rick ran in wave 1 and finished in 3:25:57 for 12th/141 place in his age group. Jan, starting in Wave 2, passed through the enormous train of power walking zombies in the last 5 miles to post a spectacular 3:46:06 and come in 3rd/45in her age group. She received a nice award that evening back in town at a ceremony hosted by Bart Yasso from Runner's World!!

On Sunday we watched the 500 or so marathoners take off (running the up to the summit and back down course) and headed home.

PS: Everyone, however, was humbled by Keith Wood, 81 years of age, who did the Ascent on Saturday in a record-breaking 4:44:09. And he was not sipping drinks with us at the Manitou Springs coffee shop this Sunday morning watching the marathon start either -- he was in the pack heading back up to the summit of Pike's Peak and back (or, as the say, doing the "double")!

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