Zebulon Pike never made it to the top of his eponymous Pikes Peak, the easternmost 14.000 foot mountain in America and a navigation beacon to the heartland still today.
But thousands of runners just as hearty as Zebulon made it to the top over the past two days in the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon -- and in under 10 hours, albeit in shoes Zeb might not have fancied.
"Hearty" is the feeling in authentically quaint Manitou Springs, perched at an elevation of 6300 feet into the canyons at the base of Pikes Peak -- 7815 vertical feet below the summit of the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon. The Manitou Springers are real Coloradans living a real Colorado life. For example, sometimes it rains.
Plus, gravity affects people living at the base of a gigantic mountain.
One of the tourist attractions in hearty Manitou Springs is the Incline Trail, which, at a 2000 foot drop, is too big for Amsterdam's Museum of Torture.
Good thing the mineral water is free. There are over a dozen pure, drinkable mineral springs all throughout Manitou Springs, built into attractions where people can fill and re-fill their water bottles gratis.
The rainbows are also free.
As we reported in our last post from Pikes Peak, its 14,115 foot summit is accessible without crampons. One way up is the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog railway, which is a simple, albeit narrated, route to the top.
The finish line of the Pikes Peak Ascent is the finish line of the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway.
The Pikes Peak Tollroad is a paved road to the top for $12 per person. We experimented on the road with a rental Toyota Tot which survived the drive and also a rental Nissan Vestibule which did not.
Or you can get there on foot -- uphill all the way.
Over 2500 hearty runners -- not a fat slob in sight -- qualified for coveted spots in Saturday's Pikes Peak Ascent, a half marathon from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak, and Sunday's Pikes Peak Marathon, which is the same course as the Ascent but where runners turn around at the summit and plunge back down into Manitou Springs. The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon are "America's Ultimate Challenge" (assuming this weekend's Leadville 100 is too preposterous to count....) Here is the happy scene at the start of the Ascent.
The Ascent and Marathon course follow the famous Barr Trail, busted into the pink Pikes Peak granite 100 years ago by hearty Fred Barr.
The Ascent rises an astonishing 7815 vertical feet in 13.32 miles, with its apex at the summit of Pikes Peak at a breathtaking 14,115 feet. At 14,115 feet, oxygen is scarce and no one can hear you scream.
Spectators are warned not to spend too long at the summit, and Ascent competitors are whisked off the summit in shuttle vans and down to 12,000 feet to gather their thoughts.
The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon are impressively well organized and managed events. Seattle Seahawks american football coach Pete Carroll lookalike Ron Ilgen is the race director. Mr. Ilgen and his entire staff are to be commended for the amazing job of coordinating and comforting runners all along the steep and roadless Barr Trail.
Competitors win a medal and a unique pullover shirt and some even win a bit of money. But the joy is in the accomplishment and being one with the mountain. They are part of Manitou now.
Pikes Peak -- it's more than a 6000 foot drop!
See you in Denver for Labor Day Phish at Dicks!