Take a deep breath while there’s time. Come this weekend, runners will have to cherish every bit of oxygen they can. The 69th annual Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon begin Saturday starting with the romp up Pikes Peak.
Both events have their highest number of participants since 2019 prior to the pandemic and a plethora of new runners will compete in this year’s festivities. Here are a few items to keep tabs on during the annual event. Weather It’s doubtful inclement weather will impact this year’s Pikes Peak Ascent.
Saturday’s race, which begins at 7 a.m., typically takes around 7 hours for the final finishers to arrive.
Jordan Linder, Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon race director, said, “Saturday we’re a-go as normal” since snow is expected later in the day on Pikes Peak, but not during the early portion of the race. As for Sunday’s Marathon, stay tuned. “We’re monitoring the weather for Saturday night into Sunday,” Linder said.
“We’ll communicate that throughout the weekend for marathoners who may be affected. We’ll communicate that primarily through Facebook. We have Instagram as well and a text feature this year so we can text our registered runners up-to-date information.
” As of Thursday afternoon, Manitou Springs will have a low of 41 degrees and a high of 57 and a 50% chance of participation Sunday. Participation Nearly 2,000 runners will race in the Ascent and 916 will compete in the Marathon, which Linder said is the highest total of part.