Pikes Peak Marathon – Photo Copyright:© 2019 The Denver Post, MediaNews Group.
Just like in Europe there’s the legendary Zegama, in the States there’s the famous Pikes Peak Marathon–it’s one of the most traditional races you’ll find in this country. Especially with so much history surrounded the race, going up and down Pikes Peak Mountain (which, by the way is 14,000 feet high) has always delivered a good show for the people following the sport.
This weekend will be the race’s 64th edition, and this year is shaping up to be one for the books with the presence of Kilian Jornet, and strong fields for both men and women. The top men, specifically, will be going after Matt Carpenter’s record, which he set in 1993. Will they do it? We encourage you to follow the race this weekend and to watch it all unfold.
You can read the men’s preview here, and the women’s preview here.
UTMB Time.
You now what’s happening next week, right? It’s UTMB week! Next week’s newsletter will be full of UTMB-related stuff, but for now, we’ll leave you with the strong field of men and women’s who will be racing for the podium around the Mont Blanc next Friday. As usual, full of big names on both sides. Definitely another year with super deep competition.
You can read the iRunfar woman preview here and men preview here
The Incline – Colorado Springs
Right in the same town that’s home to Pikes Peak, there’s a section of a trail that’s been famous for a couple of years now: The Manitou Incline. With a little bit more than 2,000 feet of vert in just one mile (averaging 41% incline), this trail has become a real classic and is a must-do if you are in the area. We leave you with this video that tells the history of The Incline, and what it means to many people both from the area, and who come from out of town to try their hand.
WHAT INSPIRED US THIS WEEK
What to read:
Max King is one of those rare runners who can run anything from a Vertical Kilometer to 100 miles–and everything in between–and do it well. With plenty of years in the game, Max is having more fun than ever…and you can tell if you’ve ever see him running. We leave you here with this in-depth interview for you to get to know him better.
You can read the interview here.
What to watch:
How much gear do you own for trail running? Even though our sport isn’t as gear-oriented as mountaineering, climbing or biking, we still have plenty of stuff we could buy to make ourself feel “up-to-date” gear-wise…but do we really need the latest trail shoe? The newest vest on the market? Those new wireless headphones? A lot of times, we get so caught up in the gear world that we forget to actually enjoy the experience of being immersed in nature and surrounded by what we love. We leave you with this article which reflects on these ideas.
