Pikes Peak Marathon 2010

Today was the big day and what we had been training for and anticipating all summer. We would join close to 800 other crazy runners/hikers up to the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,115' and back down covering the distance of a marathon although most would consider this race an ultra event. This would be my second Pikes Peak Marathon. After my debut year last went so well, I had high expectations of doing even better this year. Plus I had managed to talk a few more people into doing the race this year which just makes things more interesting and fun. Unfortunately my mom would not be participating this year but that meant she was available for great support and encouragement. John would be attempting his second PP marathon. The two newbies would be my good friend Jen who would be coming in from Austin and Melissa who had done the Ascent twice but never the marathon. Jen had never even been on the mountain other than going up the Incline earlier in the year. Although she was not able to train in altitude, she got great training in Austin and is no amateur to high elevations. She lived in Colorado for 10+ years and I think has done more fourteeners than I have. Plus she ran the Mt Evans Ascent with me earlier in the summer and did awesome. Ultimately, it was great knowing I would be on the mountain and sharing this amazing event with such great friends.
We all convened at my house in the morning as the start was right outside my door. Nerves were definitely running high at the start as the summit loomed above us seeming so so so far away. The gun went off at 7am sharp and we were off. The initial mile and half going through Manitou before getting on Barr Trail went great for me but as we started heading up the W's that's when it all went downhill for me. The upper half of my body was simply revolting on me with nausea, stomach cramping, bloating, and bad heartburn. I keep telling myself this is only temporary and will just take a few miles to get the jitters out and I would start feeling better in no time. Well unfortunately that time really never came. I had moments of felling better but they didn't last long. Thankfully, my legs were functioning great and my knee was holding up. I made in to Barr Camp in just under 2 hrs (way behind any PR's) and at this point I was pretty worried about even getting up the mountain. Just past Barr, Jen had caught up to me. She almost passed me without knowing it was me because she was so surprised to see me. I told her I wasn't feeling well and would hopefully see her at the top. Fortunately for her she was feeling great and I think she felt bad leaving me but I told her to go on. She quickly faded in the distance. (She later told me that she had never felt so great going up a fourteener.) As for me, it took all my strength to keep going. My hands were starting to swell so I took my GPS garmin off and strapped to my hydration vest. I didn't really care any more about time or pace. Then just as I thought things couldn't get worse, the did. My ear started to bother me by plugging up which made my breathing sound like a wind tunnel. The weight of my hydration vest was also starting to bother my shoulders. Normally these things don't bother me but when you don't feel well to start every little thing turns into a bigger thing. I had to take one step at a time, try to focus on my breathing and get to A-frame. Luckily the lady in front of me was going at a pace I felt comfortable with. All I had to do was keep my feet moving by just following her steps. Finally, the A-frame aid station came into view and if I remember correctly, my watch said 2hr47min which wasn't too bad but at that point I was struggling even more and had to take a breathier, rest, and gather myself before attempting the last 3 miles above treeline.
While resting on the rock (yes I had to sit down which I never do in a race) and talking to some of the volunteers, I was surprised to see John coming up the trail. He was doing and feeling great. I helped him fill his water bladder and told him I needed his help getting up the mountain. We left A-Frame together but he quickly got ahead of me. However, he very kindly doubled back twice to check on me and by the second time I told him not to wait but go ahead. As I got higher above treeline, the wind picked up and actually stopped me in my tracks a few times. It felt good though and cooled me off enough that I actually started to feel a little better. I picked up the pace slightly and actually started to pass people. Seeing the top in sight and knowing I had people at the summit waiting for me, particularly my mom, helped my motivation a great deal. As the top got even closer, I felt even better and it was about 1/2 mile from the top that Jen passed me as she was coming down. We exchanged hugs and I told her I would see her at the finish. I continued my way up, passing even more people although at this point the trail was very congested and with people coming down it was hard to pass. I crested the 16 golden stairs and heard my mom yelling which immediately prompted tears from my eyes. This spurred more energy and in no time I was at the top and surprised to see I had caught up to John and was right behind him waiting in the corral at the summit. The clock read 4:14:56. Much different than last year when I flied through the corral unimpeded at the top in a time of 3:44:18. But I summitted, was still standing and had not quit!
After going through the turn around, I stopped to hug my mom, get some more tears out and swap out some gear. At that point, I didn't care about my time and had to muster up the motivation to get all the way back down the mountain. Jen and John were already on their way back down. Melissa had not made it to the top yet and I was hoping she was doing ok. After probably about 10 mins up top, I took a deep breath, told my mom I would see her at the finish and was off. Not too far from the top, I passed Melissa, gave her a hug and kept going. She was not having a great race either but with my stomach still cramping, I had a feeling she was going to catch me on the way down. The first mile down was slow as the trail was still congested and their are many technical areas in this section making it hard to run. I had to alternative between walking fast and running because of the stomach cramping. Very frustrating. I got down about 2 1/2 miles from the summit before Melissa caught up to me. I told her not to wait for me but to keep going but she decided to stay with me. I was very thankful she did. Just having someone with me to chat with even if all we could do was complain about how bad the race had gone for us helped me keep my mind off things and my legs moving a little faster.
Once we got to A-frame, we actually picked up the pace quite a bit and were passing people. We would alternate leading the way and soon we found ourselves at Barr Camp. We took a breather there, refilling water, trying to force down calories, and standing under the mister as the heat was really starting to hit hard. Then it was off again with Melissa leading. She picked up the pace quite a bit and I urged to to slow a little as we still had quite a ways to go down (almost 7.5 miles). She agreed as we were not trying to break any records at this point. I had moments of feeling well and moments of "cruddiness" although my legs held up fairly well. She was very patient with me through the tougher moments as I had to slow down. On the flip side, we tried to take advantage of the moments of feeling better by picking the pace up. I remember passing a lot more people than those that passed us and for some reason we passed a lot of males. I don't remember passing any females towards the bottom. Interesting! Every one was very courteous about getting over to pass and always said good job and keep it up.
As we got closer and closer to the bottom, it got hotter and hotter. I tried to drink as much fluids as possible without aggravating the stomach cramping. We were both very anxious to be done which motivated us to pick up the pace even more. The 2 mile section towards the bottom before hitting the pavement can be very tricky with many rocks to maneuver. This combined with exhausted legs, feet that are on fire, and 90 degree heat makes for a high likelihood of tripping. After Melissa took a near disaster trip but managed to save herself, we both had to focus hard on our footing and not take our eyes off the trail. We quickly hit the pavement with no other close calls and knew we were so very close to the finish. This last section is always tough with the heat radiating from the asphalt in already 90+degree, the less forgiving nature of the road compared to the trail, and the fact we had been on our feet for almost 7 hours............the finish line couldn't have come soon enough.
As it got closer, there were more fans cheering and then we saw my mom and fisher followed by Jen, my dad and Aunt Heather giving us a good boost of adrenaline that carried us to the finish with a time of 6:55:51. We hung out under the finish tent for a little while, eating some oranges, drinking water and trying to cool off. It felt great to take the shoes off.
Next up was saying hello to all our support as well as fellow runners Jen and John. Jen had a great finish in a time of 6:06:05 and first in her age group! John finished in 6:35:23 shaving off 70 minutes from last year! They rocked it! We headed to the creek to soak our feet, chat about the race, eat some food and wait for the awards ceremony. Matt Carpenter of course won the male side of the race in 3:51:34 (his record 11th win out 14th attempts) and Keri Nelson winning for the females in a time of 4:34:24.
After the awards ceremony, we headed home showered, sat down on the couch, and then were off to the Blue Star to celebrate all of us finishing with dinner and drinks. Unfortunately, Melissa could not join us but we all had a great time, great food, fun atmosphere, yummy drinks and dessert!
Then home to bed! And a well earned night's sleep!
The pictures below give a better idea of how the day unfolded.

Matt Carpenter's summit time and 1st to the summit!
Matt running with ease!
Jen at the summit. Wondering where the heck everyone else was? She smoked us all! This was her first summit of Pikes Peak!
Me cresting the golden stairs.
Almost to the summit!
John and I starting to head after going through the turnaround point at the summit!
Me taking a moment to take in the summit and hang out with my mom and some other friends cheering us on.
Me wondering how I made it up the mountain.
Melissa at the summit with Amy who ran the Ascent the day before.
Melissa fighting to get to the summit!

Jen moments away from the finish.
John coming into the finish.
Melissa and I finally getting to the finish. Man that was a long race!
Getting closer!
Even closer!
Melissa and I's finish time.
The dirt tan!
Finish photos!

Yeah we all finished!
Soaking in the creek.
Jen's award!
Back at my house. Exhausted.

To sum things all up, this race was quite a learning experience for me in my running career. It was mentally and physically one of the toughest races I have ever had. It is races like this that make us stronger.I am so thankful I was able to fight through almost 7 hrs of pain and finish and not quit. Couldn't have done it without the support of family and friends. Thanks to Jen for coming out and experiencing this mountain with me. Thanks to John for encouraging me above A-frame. To my mom screaming her head off at the top. And all the rest of my friends at the top cheering us on. And especially thanks to Melissa's company and encouragement as she stuck with me the whole way down the mountain when she could have easily put me in the dust!

There is always next year!