5:04:25 on Pikes Peak

Today was the big day. My goal was to finish the Pikes Peak Marathon in 5 hours, 10 minutes, and I beat my goal by about 4 and a half minutes. The weather was great, in contrast with last year's cold, rain, snow and lightning.

By the numbers:

• Finish time: 5 hours, 4 minutes, 25 seconds
• Overall place: 42nd out of 711 people
• Place in age group (M 35-39): 8th out of 97
• Ascent time: 3:12:17
• Average pace: 11:37 per mile
  
• Elevation gain: 7,815 ft
• Elevation change: 15,630 ft
• Elevation at the summit: 14,115 ft
  

The injury report:

• sprained left thumb
• scraped hand, knee and ankle
• stubbed toe

After doing some reading the day before the race, I revised my strategy to take a slightly slower pace in the first 5 miles, which is the steepest section. It was a challenge to stick with this strategy as I watched 9 people pass me during this section, but paid off in the long run since I had enough juice left to pass more than 9 people during the rest of the race. I ran the last mile of race in just 7 minutes!

How does one sprain a thumb in a marathon you might ask? Well, the race goes up the single-track Barr trail, not the road as many people assume. The trail averages 11% grade with rocks, roots and steps, so running downhill on this terrain can be treacherous, especially when you're severely fatigued. I tripped going down some steps and landed on my left hand, spraining my thumb. I stumbled several other times on the downhill run.

My pre-race routine consisted of eating half a banana, one energy quark (fantastic energy food from Nutropolis), one Clif shot, and one Power gel, plus getting a 3-minute warm-up run just prior to race start.

It was a great experience and a proud accomplishment, but now I'm looking forward to a few days of R & R!