Very true point. As you know that fact was learned the very hard way last year by one of the competitive runners. Mary Akor's fastest Marathon, a 2:33h. At the press conference before the Ascent, she was very confident that her training in the Sierra foothills of California would be sufficient for a spot among the top ten. Not so. Mary finished 59th woman with a time of 3:48h. That is a good time, don’t get me wrong, but 70 minutes slower than her fastest 26.4 miles. The last three miles took Mary 1:23h. That is almost 30 minutes per mile. Pikes Peak comes with desert, a piece of humble pie.
