Pikes Peak Marathon

Distance

26.2 mi13.1 up, 13.1 down

Elevation gain

7,815 ft

Summit

14,115 ft

First run

1956

Field

~800 marathon

Best door

Qualify, then register on opening day

There is no other marathon like it in the United States. The first half is thirteen miles of climbing on a single-track trail, gaining nearly 8,000 feet, finishing above treeline where the air holds around 60 percent of the oxygen you're used to. The descent is faster and in many ways worse: thirteen miles of pounding on quads that have done nothing but climb for hours, on loose trail, with runners coming uphill at you.

The race also has real history. It began in 1956 partly as a demonstration that smokers couldn't do it, and it has been the proving ground for American mountain running ever since. The Ascent, the half-marathon-length uphill-only race, runs the day before and is the standard entry point.

How to get in

• Time qualifier
  The qualifying requirement

  Pikes Peak requires proof you can handle it. Runners must submit a qualifying performance from an approved race within the qualifying window, and marathon entrants generally need a stronger qualifier than Ascent entrants. Check the current list before you plan your season, because it changes.

• Open entry
  Registration day

  Once qualified, entry is first-come. Registration opens months ahead and the marathon fills. Set the alarm; this is not a lottery, it's a race to the form.

• Open entry
  The Ascent

  The uphill-only race is run the day before, has a larger field, and is the sensible first step. Runners who do both on consecutive days complete the Doubler, which is its own small piece of local legend.

Altitude is the actual opponent

Every flatlander underestimates this and the mountain does not care.

• Above 12,000 feet you will slow dramatically regardless of fitness. Plan for it rather than panicking about it.
• Arrive early if you can. Either get to Colorado 10 to 14 days out to acclimate properly, or arrive within 24 hours of the race, before altitude sickness fully develops. The middle window is the worst of both.
• Cutoffs are enforced. There are intermediate time limits on the climb, including at the A-Frame near treeline, and you will be turned around.
• Weather at the summit changes in minutes. August afternoon thunderstorms on a 14er are lethal. Carry the required layers and take turnarounds seriously.
• Train the descent. Thirteen miles of downhill on trashed legs breaks more races than the climb does.

Questions runners actually ask

Go to the source

• Pikes Peak Marathon

Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.

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