The Berglund's Pikes Peak Marathon Race Report

Jon,

As you mentioned our participation in the Pikes Peak Marathon, I thought you might like an update on our unique experience (that phrase replaces ‘miserable performance’) the past weekend.

The Pikes Peak Marathon weekend is in two parts, On Saturday, they have the Ascent, which is a slightly long half marathon, where the participants run from Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak (13.32 miles and close to a mile and a half increase in elevation). There are a number of time cutoffs along the way to remove slower runners based upon the maximum finishing time. On Sunday they have the full marathon, which is the Ascent, plus a slightly shorter descent back to Manitou Springs.

We went down to Colorado Springs on Friday night and planned to watch the start of the Ascent on Saturday morning but the rain fell all night and it was pretty nasty when the start began, so we had breakfast at the hotel and followed the race on the message board. About 1,800 participants started the Ascent, and the first finisher completed the Ascent in about 2 ¼ hours, but a snow squall hit the mountain about that time and created havoc with the participants. Many of the runners started the Ascent in shorts and singlets. They were completely unprepared for the blizzard like conditions and subfreezing temperatures at the tree line (about 11,500 feet). At about 10:30 (3 ½ hours after the start) they called the race. About 750 runners had reached the top, many before the storm hit, the remainder were sent back down the hill. Over 100 runners were treated for hypothermia and several hospitalized.

The organizers and local weather bureau, predicted that on Sunday, the conditions would be even worse. Accumulated snow at the top, frequent snow squalls during the late morning and subfreezing temperatures. There was a lot of discussion on the message board about cancelling the race. As we also only had shorts and t-shirts, (plus our Sunmart jackets) we spent Saturday visiting the running stores and shopping centers around Colorado Springs trying to get some gear for the trek. We purchased ponchos, gloves, hats, a belt to carry things, electrolyte pills, and Karen got long pants and socks.

We attended the pasta dinner on Saturday night and received disconcerting news from the experienced participants who were planning on running with screws in their shoes, or Yak-Traks (?) because of the dominant ice over the upper four miles. There was also a posting on the board from the area Search and Rescue group on how to prepare for the marathon the next day, which included such concepts as wear long pants and carry extra warm clothes and drink plenty of water.

At 6 AM on Sunday, the following message was posted on the board.

Posted by: eric

When: 8/17/2008 6:20:02 AM

I can observe the Peak from my house at 8,900 feet. The peak is currently obscured with a storm moving in. It is well below freezing (39 degrees at 8,900 feet). Winds are beginning to gust. There seems to be about four to six inches of snow on top. Snow begins about 11,000 feet. Good luck marathoners.

Karen and I drove to the start of the marathon and found the temperatures in the 40’s with a mist, but not rain in the air. A number of the participants had decided to go home. As we stood there looking at the mountain in the distance, covered with snow and snow clouds, we considered our options. We had done little running on hills mountains, no training at high altitudes; we did not know how to run over big rocks and boulders and had never run on trails covered with ice and snow, nor in a snow squall. But, in the spirit of the readers of your blog, when the gun sounded, I yelled the proverbial “Pikes Peak or Bust’ and off we went.

We started out slow and went at a pace that was supposed to get us to the top in about 5 and a half hours, under normal conditions. We made it through the first seven checkpoints on schedule, and well ahead of the cutoffs. We reached the final checkpoint at 10 miles at 4 hours, and climbed above the tree line. At this point they had us put on our jackets. The course was just starting to be covered with snow and ice.

The snow squall hit us at about 11,500 feet, which was about a little less than 3 miles from the top. The snow came down wet and in clumps and the temperature dropped below freezing. We put on our ponchos and gloves (mine was soaked in minutes) and continued as best we could. The snow continued for nearly an hour. By now, runners were coming down on their return leg, with stories of ice all over the rocks and trails ahead and many runners falling on their backsides. As we got amongst the rocks and switchbacks, we had to yield to the down hill runners and often helped them step down from the icy rocks. In many locations, one could only tell where the trails were by the runners that were on them.

It took us almost 2 ½ hours to go the last three miles to the top. We made it just before the 6 ½ hour cutoff. Now, we would have about 3 ½ hours to run 12.8 miles downhill to get to the finish line. Doing a short half marathon downhill in 3 ½ hours seemed workable, except for the ice, snow, slipping and falling, and obscured trails. When the race director indicated that most runners over the last half hour had followed his advice of staying at the top and not going back down and noted that because of the bad weather they had brought up buses to take us back down the hill, we considered the idea for about 2 seconds before we took his advice. It took two hours for the bus to make the drive down the icy slopes of Pikes Peak to the finish line.

Bottom line was that we failed to complete the Pikes Peak Marathon. Many of the faster runners did finish, especially if they made it to the top before the snow squall. As DNFs, we receive no medal, no jacket and no reference in the race records. We have a lot of meaningful things in our lives and are not defined by one race. But, we did get a picture of us at the top, which, of a truth, is probably worth more than any undeserved medal, jacket or recognition, and will always bring back the memories of the unique experience of two aged flatlanders trying to run to the top of the 14,115 foot mountain.

Ron