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  • Registration
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    • Ascent
    • Garden To Peak Challenge
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  • Results
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    • Race Week Schedule
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    • Rules
    • Awards & Prize Money
  • Plan
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Blog

Golden Trail World Series Returns to Pikes Peak in 2021

12/23/2020

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We know how amazing Pikes Peak Marathon's course is and how incredible our runners are that take on America's greatest challenge -- and so does the WORLD!  In 2021, the Pikes Peak Marathon will again host some of the best runners from around the world as they compete for HUGE prize money and rankings to earn a position in the Golden Trail World Series Grand Final in November, 2021, in the K42 Adventure Marathon in Patagonia, Argentina.  Be prepared to see dozens of the top runners from around the world as they battle it out right here on Pikes Peak's Barr Trail along with you!

The sponsors of the Golden Trail Series have updated their format to alternate between the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) in odd years, including 2021, and the Golden Trail Championship in even years.  The Golden Trail Championship, born out of the craziness of 2020 where so many races were cancelled, is a grueling, 5-day series of races in the Azores with 113km (approximately 70 miles) accumulated distance and 6,050m (19,849 ft) of vertical elevation, split into a prologue followed by 4 race stages.  Each stage ranges from 22-32km (13.7 to 19.9 miles) per day, kind of like the Tour de France.  WHEW -- and we thought our Pikes Peak Doublers were crazy!!!

Now in it's 3rd year, "the GTWS was founded upon 6 iconic races, for their specific differences, countries, and extreme technical challenges and is already known as the world’s most competitive trail running circuit. These iconic qualifying races are: Zegama, known as “The Basque Fever”, in Spain’s Basque Country; the Marathon du Mont Blanc, known as “The Roller Coaster”, in Chamonix, France; Dolomyths Run, known as “The Couloir Of Hell”, in Italy; Sierre-Zinal, known as “The Fast and Furious”, in the Swiss Alps; Pikes Peak, known as “The Impossible Record”, in Colorado, USA; and Ring of Steall known as “The Scottish Vertigo”, in the Scottish Highlands, UK. After the last race of the series, an overall ranking will define the TOP 11 men and women. These top 11 men and women will be invited to participate in the Grand Final."  The Golden Trail World Series is a big deal, bringing mountain trail racing to new heights and extremes. We are humbled to be the one North American trail race that meets the challenge for this prestigious series.
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Want to learn more about the Golden Trail Series and what to look forward to in 2021?  Check out the press release from the Golden Trail Series: https://www.goldentrailseries.com/2020/12/2021-the-golden-trail-world-series-is-back/

​Be sure to subscribe to our Pikes Peak Marathon newsletter so you can stay updated as we learn more about what the 2021 Pikes Peak Marathon will look like.  We can't wait to see you there!!

 
- Keri Hardin, Project Manager, Pikes Peak Marathon 
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​441 Manitou Ave, Suite 100
​Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Fun Fact!

In 1972 Peter Strudwick did the Ascent in 4:20:29 and the Marathon in 7:02:28. What is so incredible about that you ask? Well, soon after his mother had caught rubella, commonly called German measles, Peter was born with legs that ended in stumps just past the ankles, a left arm that had only one thumb and a finger, and a right arm ending at the wrist.
When Zebulon Pike tried to ascend the mountain that would later be named after him he was turned back by the harsh weather. Many claim he said that no one would ever reach its summit. However, it is generally accepted that he meant on that day, under those conditions. The snow was waist deep and his men were not dressed for it and were out of food.
“Militant tobacco-hating physician” Dr. Arne Suominen from Delray Beach FL, became the founder of the modern day Pikes Peak races when he wrote a letter to the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce in 1956 and challenged cigarette smokers to race him up and down Pikes Peak. 1956 Results
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