I considered it ... but I have an IM this fall and don't want to risk jeopardizing it.

I'm in for the ascent. If you signed up for the marathon you need to practice running downhill on fatigued legs. Don't worry about the altitude as there is not much you can do about it unless you want to get there several weeks ahead of time.

At what number is this race capped?

800 for the marathon... Split into 2 fields

I did the Ascent a couple of years ago. You're in for a treat. What an awesome experience that was. Absolutely love the area and the race was organized so well. The feeling once you get above the tree line (between 9,000 and 10,000 feet) was like nothing I had ever experienced or have experienced since. Felt like running on an alien planet with my oxygen tank running out. Good Luck!

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http://dontletitdefeatyou.blogspot.com

Congrats on getting in. Brace yourself.

It is the probably the race I am most proud of. It is physically tough, mentally challenging and (weather permitting) great for the soul.

What other race can you stand at the start line and see the turnaround point over 13 miles away and ~8000 feet up?

Tap into the Incline Club for advice. Slowtwitch does not have the level of expertise that Matt and his crazies have amassed over the years. The pace calculator is the bible of pacing. It is tough to follow but if you do, you'll succeed. If you start fast, enjoy the sufferfest.

My $0.02 on altitude is simple: either you can handle it quickly or you can't. I can't handle it well. I don't adapt quickly. I had to live in Colo Spgs to adapt to altitude. I had to train on Pikes Peak to race the marathon successfully. When I moved away from Colorado to live at sea level and returned to ski at 12,000 feet, I got HAPE. There's a big difference between "altitude" and "high altitude" too.

For reference as to how tough the top is, I finished in the top third of the race and the top mile took me 20 minutes. My up time was roughly equal to my flatland marathon time.

Sarge

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"it's also a personal choice to remain ignorant" - Slowman

Downhill is the hard part... The last three miles down Mount Manitou are the worst. Add in the increasing heat the lower you get and it's really challenging.
Agree with prior post - talk to the Incline Club people.

One huge thing to think about - most of the people in the race are fast hiking, not really running, for most of the race. I volunteered at the Cirque aid station for about 5 years and the top 15 men and maybe 5 women were actually running that high. So train on trails and train the fast hiking technique. Also, the oddest things sound appealing at 13000' (that's where my aid station was) - Sugar wafer cookies were always a big hit. It's a long way between aid stations, so find some kind of hydration pack or belt that you KNOW will be comfortable. And please - PICK UP ALL YOUR TRASH!!! Nothing is more fun the tracking down every cup, gel wrapper and shred of garbage before hiking back up the mountain with all of it on our backs. At most of the aid stations, the volunteers have hiked in for the Ascent, carrying it all down or up and the Marathon shift has to pack it all out. All of it, garbage cans and everything. Carrying a full garbage can 1.5 miles up to the summit with lightening all around and still needing to pick up trash isn't fun. (rant over)

Pace yourself - don't waste energy on Mount Manitou passing people - otherwise it will be a death march after A-frame.
Between A-frame and the summit both coming up and going down gets crazy. I did the marathon back in 1997 and the lead men were coming down just after I passed A-Frame and they actually have the right of way. So be prepared to step out of the way - and it will get busy the closer you get to the summit.

Altitude is a different matter - if you don't know how your body will respond, the current school of thought is to show up as close to the race as you can. Getting here a week before is actually the worst because your body has just started to aclimatate - or so that's what people say. I'm of no help with that, being a native and all that.

Good luck, have fun!

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Vale!
Tracy T
http://www.thelencoaching.com
Some light reading::: http://www.tracythelen.blogspot.com

I'm in for the Ascent this year. Last year was my first time officially running the marathon, although I bandited the Ascent in the mid-80's. Lot's of good advice, especially about the Incline club crazies. I grew up in Colorado Springs, so the altitude never bothered me. But, having been away for a few years, I have started to notice it when I go back. For me personally, the downhill is significantly harder than the uphill. It is shorter from a time perspective, but it hurts more. A few tips:

Drink water while you're in Colorado Springs - a lot of it.
If it is a sunny day, wear sunscreen. The sun is much more intensive in that area.
Practice your power hiking. Due to the incline, as well as the trail limitations, you will hike a lot.
Look up and look out for oncoming downhill runners, especially as you get closer to A-frame. They have the right of way, and the ones that you encounter for the first 30-45 minutes will be flying.

I like to arrive 1-2 days before a race when I go back there. The fatigue that sets in due to altitude doesn't seem to get to me until I've been there for 4-5 days.

It's a great race, and one that I would recommend to anyone. If you can't train at altitude, prepare to be humbled by the mountain.

As always, great info ST.

I like this website.

The hill repeat training has begun.

Did it sell out? How fast?

Anybody else tapering for this? My only "elevation" training was running the PA hills in the heat/humidity... I'm in shape, but I know I'm in for a shock with the elevation. Thanks for the previous tips!

How was the race? Did you write up a race report?

Interested in doing this race next year.
Thanks, John

Restarting this thread! Signed up today!!!

One of my buddies has registered for this three times - in the same years as Leadville 100 (they are on back-to-back days). He figured he would need to finish Leadville by 3 or 4am in order to drive to PP and warm up in time. Although he has finished before 2am (he has run LDVL 12 or 14 times), in those 3 particular years he was not able to meet the challenge. He said, to his knowledge, only one guy has successfully finished both on one weekend.

Good luck to everyone racing it. I do not envy you on the downhill portion.

good lord

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Eliot
blog thing - strava thing

Thanks! Looking forward to the challenge.

One day I'll get back and do the marathon. Did the ascent in 1993. It was my first endurance event ever. Halfway up I decided to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon and that led me to....

I got to sign up early due to winning my ag last year (blatant brag). But the most important thing I will say is that unlike other running races this one puts more of a premium on pure aerobic fitness. Last year I was only running 1-2 times per week until two weeks before the race where I bumped it up to 4-5 times per week. All my fitness came from cycling and I was able to go close to 3 hours off of that. The thing to remember in this race is that like they say in a marathon the race begins at 20 miles. In the ascent the race begins at tree line.