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| Photo by Richard Bolt |
I became the first athlete in 15 years to win back to back Pikes Peak Ascent titles. This year was tough with the barometric pressure not on the side of allowing us to run fast times. Recent research for altitude and physiology has found that barometric pressure can alter how the body feels at high elevation. Also, its important to note that much of the Barr trail has been beaten up pretty bad from heavy rains in the region and of course the big storms from 2013/2014 have totally rearranged the trail above treeline. So it was no surprise there were no blazing times this year. With the warm conditions many of the top athletes found themselves in the medical area hooked up to IV's and/or oxygen tanks following the ascent.
In the earlier years of the race, above treeline was much smoother with less rock jumping, sandy terrain and a lot more harder packed trail. In order to make a jump at the record would call for a very impressive run on the terrain you would face today compared to the early 90's when the record was set. Going in to this years event I set my sights on winning rather than chasing a record. Records will be broken, some will be forgotten, but winning is something that will always be remembered and will always bring a wonderful memory to mind when you look back on your running experiences. The Gazette Newspaper provides a quick recap of the Men's and Women's events with some quotes and also a quick video of me suffering at 14,115 feet!!!
Check it out HERE
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