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Tayte PollmannArticle written by Tayte Pollmann, Americal Trail Running Association. Original article posted September 4, 2024 by ATRA There’s more than one way to train for a race, especially one as complex as the Pikes Peak Marathon. Held in Manitou Springs, CO, this classic 26.2 mile trail race has been won by many exceptional athletes since its inception in 1956. Winners have stemmed from a variety of athletic backgrounds, including cross country skiing, track and field, road running, and ski mountaineering. In addition to differences in sports background, these champions have had equally unique methods of training for the specific challenges of this course. With over 7,800 feet of elevation gain and descent, 13 miles of uphill followed by 13 miles downhill, and a maximum altitude of 14,115 feet (4,302 meters), it’s an extremely difficult course for participants to prepare for. Matt Carpenter, 12-time Pikes Peak Marathon Champion, and current course record holder in a time of 3:16:39, a record that has still eluded the current best trail runners in the world, including Kilian Jornet and Adam Peterman, was known for some of his extreme methods of training for the race. Carpenter has been documented sleeping in a tent along the course at Barr Camp (approx. 10,000 feet) to train the upper sections of the route and better adapt to the extreme altitude. He was also recorded performing three, two, one mile pushes beginning near the Pikes Peak A-Frame (12,000 feet). There’s no question Carpenter’s training and workouts were specifically designed for optimal performance at the Pikes Peak Marathon. In this article, I share key workouts and training tips from Pikes Peak Marathon winners. While there is no “magic workout” that makes runners faster at the Pikes Peak Marathon (or any race), there are certainly insights to be gained from athletes who have studied the course or reflect on the practices of their training that led to winning one of this country’s premier trail races. PROTIP: Copying elite runner workouts and training is not advisable for recreational runners who may lack the years of running and high-intensity training background of elites. However, many of the tips in this article are approachable for runners of all levels. If you are interested in implementing any of the advice in this article into your own training, discuss with your running coach the pros and cons of doing so. If you don’t have a running coach, always remember to make changes to training slowly and with proper rest for optimal adaptation. Check out our coaches and camps page if you want to connect with running coaches. Pikes Peak Marathon Champion Workouts  Anita Ortiz (center) before the 2020 Pikes Peak Marathon. Anita Ortiz: 2009 and 2014 Champion My ‘go-to’ training for Pikes is my weekly Thursday treadmill run. I set the treadmill at 15% and put it at a 12:00 min/mile pace. Go for 70 minutes. It works.  Brittany Charboneau during the 2022 Pikes Peak Marathon. Brittany Charboneau: 2020 Champion Something that always sticks out about a build-up to Pike’s was the time I ran up to the top wearing a black North Face dress because I was having a funeral for Strava. I was so in my head about paces, segments, etc. especially on Pikes, so I ran the whole thing without ever looking at any of the data. I also made a playlist that was themed around winter despite it being mid-July because I wanted to trick my mind into not overthinking the warm temps. Although this isn’t a specific workout per se, it was definitely a mental workout that built so much confidence that I could run my way, ensure I kept the joy in my training, and of course garner conversations from tourists at the top…”Did you run all the way up here from the bottom? You wore a dress??”  Kristina Mascarenas during the 2021 Pikes Peak Marathon. Kristina Mascerenas: 2017, 2022 and 2023 Champion I’d say my key workouts are one flat, fast workout a week and doing a workout in my long run every other weekend(ish)! For example, on a Wednesday, I’ll do 8×3 minutes at 10k effort on a flat road with five hill strides at the end, followed by a Saturday 20-mile long run with a 30-minute tempo in the middle! I believe the key is consistency and touching your top-end speed a little bit regularly!  Alex Nichols Alex Nichols: 2015 and 2016 Champion One of the key workouts I did fairly often leading up to the Pikes Peak Marathon was a complete run of the course. I would start early and put in a solid uphill effort, most of the time running about 20 min slower than my race goal pace for the uphill portion. Then I would take advantage of the summit house for a prolonged lunch break. I would eat a normal lunch and spend a couple of hours above 14,000 feet hanging out and digesting. Then I would run the downhill back to town also at a pretty high effort. This gave me the chance to experience the entire course quickly while making it less of a massive effort. It also gave me more time at high altitude. It’s an unconventional long run option, but I think it made a big difference for me. Fun Fact: Alex Nichols summits Pikes Peak every month of the year, even in winter!  Jonathan Aziz as the 2022 Pikes Peak Marathon Men’s Champion Jonathan Aziz: 2022 and 2023 Champion In past years, it gave me significant confidence to do a hard effort on the full course about one month out. However, I would not recommend that for everyone, and I might not even do it myself this year! I do think it is critical to see the summit and work the top miles at least once. Altitude acclimation aside, there is a lot to gain from course familiarity. I liken it to standing atop a challenging ski slope that you have never tackled. Or, maybe it has been almost a year since your last descent, and it looks intimidating. After carving it up once, you can hit it the next time with greater composure and speed.  Stevie Kremer During the 2021 Pikes Peak Marathon. Stevie Kremer: 2013 and 2021 Champion My key workout was “hills, hills, hills!” In my opinion, Pikes Peak is a runnable race, and the more you train uphill, the more prepared you will be.  Kim Dobson during the 2019 Pikes Peak Marathon. Kim Dobson: 2016 Champion and Pikes Peak Ascent record holder (2:24:58) I’ve found that starting with longer uphill interval bouts (at moderately hard effort) and over several weeks cutting down to short, intense uphill intervals at high elevation best prepare me for Pikes Peak Ascent. An example of a workout I did 4 weeks out before I set the record in 2012 was three times up Telluride Mountain (each rep was 2.3 miles/1,800 feet of gain). From there, I gradually cut the intervals shorter until eight days out, I was running 5 x half mile (just over 3 minutes) up the Mt. Blue Sky road (Idaho Springs, CO) with equal jog recovery in between. Other years, I have succumbed to the temptation to use fitness to push 14,000-foot peaks across Colorado (it’s so fun!), but these longer efforts have left me feeling flat on race day. So, reflecting upon my years at Pikes, the shorter duration uphill intervals were the most successful. Everyone is different, but it seems that this strategy reflects most training plans, so it’s not surprising.  Galen Burrell Galen Burrell 2004 Champion The workout that I feel was most critical in my buildup to the Pikes Peak Marathon was a grueling 5 x 4 min VO2max hill workout I would do every week with (8-time PPA winner) Scott Elliott. Instead of a trail, we used a steep paved road to maximize the efficacy of the workout and jogged down the other side of the hill for roughly equal recovery. I loved running the same course each week — watching the times consistently drop from June to August gave me the confidence that I was ready for race day. The 2024 Pikes Peak Marathon will be held on September 22, with the Ascent slated for September 21.
Tags: Alex Nichols, Anna Ortiz, Brittany Charboneau, Galen Burrell, Jonathan Aziz, Kim Dobson, Kristina Mascerenas, mountain running, Pikes Peak Ascent, Pikes Peak Marathon, Stevie Kremer, Tayte Pollmann, Trail running tips, Training Tips About the author Tayte Pollmann Elite mountain and trail runner Tayte Pollmann is an American Trail Running Association Project Associate and graduate of the University of Portland. This effervescent 20-something is putting his degree in English to good use writing articles and creating short videos from his trail running travels across the United States and overseas. Comments are closed.
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Pikes Peak Marathon