At Pikes Peak, we climb roughly 2,377 m from Manitou Springs to a 4,302 m summit, then descend the same Barr Trail. The current $250 tier buys a marathon that behaves more like a mountain ultra: thin air, an 11 percent average climb, loose footing, and fast weather changes. Partners have an easy base in Manitou, but summit access is weather-dependent and the trail itself is not spectator-friendly.
Better info coming — we're still verifying 2 fields on this race.
Why we'd pick it
- Serious climbing — 2377 m of gain. Respect the cutoffs.
- Open · Direct entry — no lottery to lose.
- A non-racing partner gets a real weekend here — 4/5.
- Race day usually sits 2–22°C, about 25% chance of rain.
The course
The route leaves downtown Manitou Springs, joins Barr Trail after roughly 2.4 km, and climbs about 2,377 m to the 4,302 m summit before reversing the same technical trail. The average uphill grade is roughly 11 percent. Thin air above tree line and a long, crowded descent make this much slower and riskier than a road marathon.
