Here he is before the race, runner number 745. You can see Pikes Peak off in the distance. No snow, rain or clouds... a beautiful morning.
Here he comes... The guy in the red shirt and hat. He explains the finish as a "boulder crawl" rather than a run!
Here he is coming up to the finish line. SERIOUSLY... looking down was a little frightening!
13.32 miles in 3hrs and 42 minutes. Number 311 out of 1800 (that signed up)..That may sound "easy to some accomplished street runners" BUT
The Pikes Peak Ascent redefined what Adam called running. Sure, it started out like a lot of races on Any Street, USA. But your first left turn had him turning in the direction of up! During the next 10 miles, he gained almost 6,000 vertical feet. But it wasn't until his last three miles, (where he could actually hear the runners names being called as they finished) with still over 2,000' of vertical to go, that he realized where the Marathon (when other crazy people turn around and go right back down, but it's not run until the next day) got its moniker—America’s Ultimate Challenge. (s0me people actually do both races!! Those crazies say it's more fun than Disney World, and I don't think they are kidding.)
There’s a reason trees don’t bother growing above 12,000' on Pikes Peak. They can’t! Makes one wonder if trees are smarter than runners. Above treeline most runners take 30 minutes or more, some much more, just to cover a mile. What little air remains (60 % oxygen..) can’t satisfy the endless stream of zombies hoping only to survive their next step—a death march right out of a scene from Dawn of the Dead.
I can't wait until next year because he says that he is doing the FULL MARATHON! He will run back down for the second half of the Marathon. Along the way protruding rocks are waiting to send him crashing to the ground mangling flesh and only temporarily masking the pain of blood filled blisters. AWESOME!!! At least I won't have to drive four kids to the top. That was an accomplishment for me!!! I am SO scared of cliffs especially when there is maybe SIX inches of shoulder before the 300 ft drop off.
Here is Mr. Incredible at the top. (I think he looks a little ashy in color) He is sporting the finisher's jacket and medal. We didn't stay for any more pictures, because he felt the need to get back DOWN!!! SO we hurried off... as fast as the 10 mile per hour speed limit would allow us!
BE WARNED!! This video was taken by an amateur videographer who is 8yrs old... this may cause dizziness or nausea for those who get motion sickness!
