Press release written by Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon.
MANITOU SPRINGS – Joe Gray and Kim Dobson returned to familiar territory on Saturday, winning the men’s and women’s races in the 64th Pikes Peak Ascent.
Gray, 35, of Colorado Springs, set the early pace and was not challenged. Leading from the starting line in Manitou Springs, he covered the 13.32-mile course in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 59 seconds. It was his third win in four starts in one of the country’s most difficult running races.
The course climbs 7,815 feet and finishes at the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak. Gray is the 2016 World Mountain Running Champion. He has the sixth-fastest Ascent time, 2:05:28, clocked during his first Pikes Peak win in 2016.
While the forecast called for sunny skies, winds on the higher slopes – gusting to 30 mph – made for tough running and chilly temperatures.
“The wind was pretty rough,” Gray said. “Everybody had to deal with it. It was tough above A-Frame (11,800 feet.) It’s by far the worst wind I’ve seen here.”
Dobson, 35, of Eagle, chased down a pair of women runners to take the lead in the early miles, then began to pick off the men as the course surged above timberline. She finished in 2:41:44.
“There were quite a few girls ahead of me, which I expected,” she said. “I started out kind of slow.”
By the time she reached A-Frame, about 10 miles into the race, she began passing the men who struggled in the wear and tear of the higher altitude.
Dobson is the race record holder with a 2:24:58, set in 2012.
Top 3 Men
1. Joe Gray, 35, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2:08:59
2. Seth DeMoor, 34, Englewood, Colo., 2:12:45
3. Gallen Burrell, 35, Louisville, Colo., 2:25:44
Top 3 Women
1. Kim Dobson, 35, Eagle, Colo., 2:41:42
2. Ashley M Brasovan, 28, Westminster, Colo., 2:45:08
3. Mathilde Sagnes, 24, Sandy, Utah, 3:00:28
The 64th Pikes Peak Marathon begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, and features one of the toughest race fields in race history. Spanish-born Kilian Jornet, arguably the most famous mountain runner in the world, will go for Matt Carpenter’s long-standing race record (3:16:39.) In the women’s race, Swiss runner Maude Mathys is favored, and could challenge the race record (4:15:04) set by Colorado’s Megan Kimmel in 2018.
The Pikes Peak Marathon is the fifth race in the Salomon Golden Trail World Series, which includes seven of the world’s premier mountain races. The Pikes Peak event is the only series race on U.S. soil.
