2023 Pikes Peak Ascent, September 16 - Pikes Peak Marathon, September 17 - 2023 Pikes Peak Ascent, September 16 - Pikes Peak Marathon, September 17
Pikes Peak Marathon
  • Home
  • Registration
    • Marathon
    • Ascent
    • Garden To Peak Challenge
    • Elite Competitors
  • Results
  • Race Info
    • Race Week
    • Course Info
    • Rules
    • Awards & Prize Money
  • Plan
    • Training
    • Visiting
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Partners
    • Expo/Vendor
  • Merchandise
  • News
    • Press
    • New for 2022
    • Blog
    • Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Registration
    • Marathon
    • Ascent
    • Garden To Peak Challenge
    • Elite Competitors
  • Results
  • Race Info
    • Race Week
    • Course Info
    • Rules
    • Awards & Prize Money
  • Plan
    • Training
    • Visiting
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Partners
    • Expo/Vendor
  • Merchandise
  • News
    • Press
    • New for 2022
    • Blog
    • Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • Contact

Rules

Mandatory Gear Requirements

All runners in the Pikes Peak Ascent or Marathon must carry the following:
  • JACKET:  A hooded, windproof, water-resistant (or waterproof), breathable outer layer will be required. Plastic ponchos are not acceptable.
  • WATER:  Runners will be required to carry a 12-ounce or larger refillable water bottle or similar. This may be a combination of multiple containers, flasks, hydration packs, or similar. Single use disposable bottles are not acceptable. ​
Please note the new mandatory gear requirement for ALL Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon runners and race rules below have been designed to enhance everyone's overall race experience, enjoyment, and safety. Any runner who fails to comply with the gear requirement or race rules will be subject to disqualification from the race(s). ​

Race Rules

  • Mandatory gear must be on each runner's person from start to finish. This includes a hooded, windproof, water-resistant (or waterproof), breathable outer layer jacket AND a 12-ounce or larger refillable water bottle or similar (includes multiple containers, flasks, and/or hydration packs). 
  • Runners may not start before their assigned wave.
  • Pikes Peak Marathon and Pikes Peak Ascent entries or Bibs may not be transferred to anybody else.
  • Headphones, earbuds (both regular and bone conduction), and external speakers are prohibited in the Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon.
  • You must be at least 16 years old on race day to compete.
  • Poles, walking sticks, and similar accessories are prohibited. An allowance will be made for visually impaired athletes to use a pole as an assistive device to gauge the depth of step ups and downs.
  • Trash, gel packets, etc. must be disposed of within the trash zones at the aid stations. We highly encourage runners to pack out their trash they bring on course.
  • Do not run or walk abreast in pairs or groups when it will impede other runners.
  • No dogs, horses, or animals of any type are permitted.
  • Slower runners must stay on the right side of the trail so faster runners may pass.
  • In the marathon, downhill runners have the right of way — uphill runners must yield to downhill runners.
  • In the marathon, runners may change apparel/gear at the summit. However, the race committee will not and can not be involved in providing or transporting the apparel/gear.
  • As a participant in the Pikes Peak Ascent and/or Pikes Peak Marathon, you are subject to drug testing pursuant to USADA or WADA standards and procedures, and you acknowledge this notification and your willingness to be so tested.
  • The Race Director, may, at his discretion, grant exceptions to any of the above rules to account for unusual or extraordinary circumstances.

Things that will earn you a Disqualification

  • Starting in an earlier than assigned wave.
  • Using a race number assigned to another person. Both the runner and the person who gave away their number will be banned from future races!
  • Wearing headphones or making use of external speakers.
  • Failing to submit to drug testing if requested.
  • Unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • Verbal abuse of other runners or volunteers.
  • Completing only the ascent portion of the Marathon.
  • Failing to comply with directives of race officials.
  • Cutting switchbacks or any course cutting.
  • Taking oxygen prior to the completion of the race (even if medically necessary).
  • Throwing trash, gel packets, etc. on or off the trail outside of the trash zones at the aid stations.

Cut-Off & Finish Line Closing Times

Intermediate Cut-Offs

For your safety and the safety of the race support personnel, there are cut-off times (mandatory turnaround times) at NoName, Barr Camp, the A-frame, and, for the Marathon, at the summit. If you do not make the cut-off times, you will not be allowed to continue the race. There are no exceptions

On-Course cutoff times indicated below are elapsed times from each runner's start time. Any runner continuing past their cutoff time will be automatically removed from the results.
Ascent
Location
Marathon
1:40:00
NoName (8,800')
1:40:00
3:10:00
Barr Camp (10,200')
3:10:00
4:30:00
A-Frame (12,000')
4:30:00
   
Summit (14,115')
6:15:00

Finish Line Closing

Any one who does not cross the finish line by the closing time will not be counted or listed as a finisher. Closing times are as follows:
  • Ascent: 6h30m from starting time (e.g. 1:30pm for Wave 1 starters, 1:52 for wave 22)
  • Marathon: 10 hours from wave starting time (e.g. 5:00pm for Wave 1 starters, 5:10 for wave 10)​​ ​

Refunds, Switches, Number Transfers, and Deferrals

Entry fees for the Pikes Peak Marathon or Ascent are non-refundable and may not be transferred to another individual.
For a $20 fee, runners may defer their 2023 entry to 2024 for any reason. Runners have until 7/31/2023 to defer their registration by logging in to their RunSignUp account and selecting the defer registration option for the event.
Runners may request a FREE special circumstances deferment to 2024 until 9/9/2023 for the following events only:
  • Military Deployments/TDY/PCS/etc. for either the registered runner or their spouse
  • If the Registered runner becomes pregnant

Non-Binary and Transgender Policy

(Applies to all Garden to Peak Challenge races: Garden of the Gods races, Barr Trail Mountain Race, Pikes Peak Ascent, Pikes Peak Marathon)

​The goal of this policy is to encourage the participation in Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. (PPM, Inc.) races by non-binary and transgender participants. It defines rules with an emphasis on inclusion while respecting the rights and dignity of all participants and preserving the integrity of competition (awards and records). 


This policy will apply to the 2023 Garden to Peak Challenge races. PPM, Inc. reserves the right to reevaluate this policy as needed to ensure it is current and equitable based upon any updated scientific research or policies of athletic governing bodies. 
 
Rules

PARTICIPANT SELF-DETERMINATION
●    A participant’s self-declared gender at registration will be accepted at face value. This policy is intended to promote integrity in competition for prize money, overall awards, master’s awards, age group awards, and all course records. 

GENERAL RULES
●    Participants may compete in the category of their sex assigned at birth if they have not undergone hormone treatment. 
●    Non-binary participants may enter the non-binary category as described below.
●    A male-to-female transgender participant:
  • can register and compete in the female category, provided the participant has undergone continuous, medically supervised hormone treatment for gender transition for at least two years prior to the race. 
●    A female-to-male transgender participant: 
  • can register to compete as a male with no restrictions. 
  • may not register to compete in the female category if they have begun hormone treatment related to their gender transition that includes testosterone or any other banned substance.
●    There shall be no basis for, nor tolerance of, any challenge to a runner’s self-declared gender unless a top 10 overall finish, master’s award, age group award, or any course         record is at stake.

NON-BINARY CATEGORY
●    We recognize that for some participants gender identity cannot be defined by the binary terms of man or woman. We refer to this group of participants as being non-binary.        Our use of the term non-binary refers to persons:
  • identifying as either having a gender which is in-between or beyond the two categories of man or woman, 
  • identifying as fluctuating between man or woman, 
  • identifying as having no gender, either permanently or some of the time.
●    New in 2023, PPM, Inc. will offer a non-binary category for all races. Our registration platform Runsignup.com supports a non-binary category, which will appear as an 
      option when creating a Runsignup.com account. If you already have an account, you may need to edit your account.  


POLICY ENFORCEMENT
●    The PPM, Inc. race organization is the sole authority to review any challenge regarding the gender status of a top 10 finisher, master’s award, age group award winner, or
      any course record. 

●    There shall be no basis for, nor tolerance of, any challenge to a runner’s self-declared gender unless a top 10 finish, master’s award, age group award, or any course record
       is at stake. Only individuals who have been directly impacted (by loss of prize money, age group award, master’s award, top-10 placing, or course record) shall have
       standing to submit a challenge. 

●    Challenges must be submitted online via the Challenge Form located on the website within three days of race completion. Challenges must be submitted with discretion
      and with utmost respect for the privacy of all parties involved.

●    PPM, Inc. in its sole discretion, will determine whether there is a legitimate basis for challenges presented. Additionally, PPM, Inc. will verify all race results according to
      established policies and may initiate a challenge where warranted.


CHALLENGES
●    In the event of a challenge, PPM, Inc.  may ask the participant for documentation from a medical professional certifying that the entrant has undergone continuous,
       medically supervised hormone treatment for gender transition for at least two years prior to the race. 

●    Transgender participants, at their option, may provide medical documentation related to their gender transition to the PPM, Inc. organization prior to the race. 
●    If the challenge is upheld (the runner in question does not meet the rules above), then the runner’s result will be vacated: a top 10 finisher award, age group award, master’s award, or course record shall be forfeited. 
●    All decisions regarding a challenge shall be in the sole discretion of the PPM, Inc. 
 
DRUG TESTING
●    For the purposes of USADA, WADA, USATF, WMRA and any other sanctioning bodies, athletes may be subject to sanctions consistent with the policies of these various
      bodies. 
Picture
​441 Manitou Ave, Suite 100
​Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Contact Us

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
Picture
Picture
© Pikes Peak Marathon