The Impossible Record…Broken
The 68th running of the Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent (PPM & PPA) took place during the second weekend of September. The race dates were moved two years ago–from the middle of August to the middle of September–because of the volatility of the Colorado monsoon season and the unpredictable weather it could bring to the race. Very ironically, snow blanketed the Peak the week of the race and forecasts threatened up to six inches of fresh powder on race morning. Instead of a curse, it became more of a blessing.
Bonnet celebrating his record-breaking victory Photo: Peter Maksimow
The record that has withstood three decades of challenge–dubbed the “Impossible Record”–has finally fallen! On a snow-covered Pikes Peak, albeit much less than was forecasted, one talented Swiss athlete, Rémi Bonnet, was the one to take down Matt Carpenter’s legendary time with the new standard of 2:00:20. It must be stated that Carpenter’s time of 2:01:06 was a split time en route to the PPM, in which he still handily owns the record of 3:16:39.
The covering of snow on Barr Trail aided in the record-breaking run by the Red Bull and Salomon-sponsored athlete. As a World Champion Skimo (Ski Mountaineer), Bonnet is no stranger to snow and relished in it, saying, “The ground was nice and not slippery; it was perfect weather for Pikes Peak.”
Two days before the race, Bonnet asked Carpenter if he thought his record was attainable. Carpenter told him that this was his year. Immediately after breaking the tape, Bonnet showed humility in accepting his new title as PPA record holder, saying, “I did it also for Matt, because he is a legend, and I am very proud to put my name on it.” He also made sure to emphasize, “I will come back next year to go under two hours.”
[Note: A $10,000 “Ascent Time Bounty” is up for grabs to any male who can run under 2:00:00 and to any female who can run under 2:21:00. The women’s PPA record is held by Kim Dobson in 2:24:58 (2012).]
Kenyan and Run2gether athlete Patrick Kipngeno, placed second in a very fast 2:04:09, while American and Salomon athlete Eli Hemming, rounded out the podium with a time of 2:07:40.
Rémi Bonnet post-race interview.
A Newbie to the Sport of Trail Running
One local Manitou Springs resident, who is very new to trail running, having only done his first trail race in November of 2022, excitedly mingled at the start line of the PPA as he took in the nervous energy of those racing. You could feel his excitement, and he exuded the enthusiasm of trail running!
Cropper (left) and Delaney (right) at the start line of the PPA. Photo: Peter Maksimow.
One could say Diarra Cropper, who goes by “D” amongst his friends, stands out from the trail running community. Although his newly found excitement for the sport is common with many people who discover trail running, he tends to stand out in large part because of his physical stature at 6’2”. He stands out in larger part because he is black, a rare occurrence in the homogeneously white-dominated sport of trail running.
Cropper did not run the PPA or PPM–he is currently training for his first 100-mile race at Javelina 100 in October–but he was involved in the weekend festivities and supported his good friend Derico Delaney, who participated in the PPA. Both Cropper and Delaney sported “Black Men Run” shirts, a nationwide organization with chapters in major cities. Their mission statement reads: To encourage health and wellness among African American men by promoting a culture of running/jogging to stay fit resulting in ‘A Healthy Brotherhood.’
The most visible black mountain and trail running athlete for the last decade and a half has been the 23-time National Champion and 9-time World Champion, Joseph Gray. With his huge athletic success, he has gained a large platform and utilized it to be an outspoken advocate for getting more black athletes into the sport.
Gray (left) on the start line of the PPA with Eli Hemming (center) and Rémi Bonnet (right). Photo: Peter Maksimow.
I had the great opportunity to join Cropper and Delaney on a recent trail run through the Garden of the Gods to learn more about his history and trajectory into trail running. In high school, Cropper was a sprinter and hurdler in track & field, but his main sports were football and basketball. After a serious injury on the basketball court during his sophomore year of college, his collegiate athletic career came to an abrupt end.
After college, Cropper became a semi-pro basketball and volleyball player, touring around Colorado and making a meager income. In the summer of 2021, during a pickup basketball game, he came down on his ankle wrong, culminating in a ruptured Achilles tendon. In an effort to get back to what he loved, he committed himself to aggressive physical therapy to get the Achilles back to proper function.
That commitment worked, as he came back eight months later to run his first 5K, completing it in 30 minutes. He continued that progression and ran his next 5K in 25 minutes. In his most recent 5K, he made another huge improvement and finished in 19 minutes. In his comeback to health, he found the love of running and completed his first trail half marathon in November of 2022.
Fast forward to our run in the Garden of the Gods, where Cropper was sporting a brand new pair of Speedland GS:PGH that he received in the mail the day before. The excitement that comes with any fresh pair of running shoes was very apparent. At the conclusion of the run, Cropper was sold on the shoes and has since accepted a sponsorship deal from Speedland. D has come a long way in a short period of time and still has a long way to go in what appears to be a very bright future!
D wearing his “Black Panther” shirt, his BMR nickname, with Pikes Peak in the distance. Photo: Peter Maksimow
FUN FACT: The Pikes Peak Marathon is the longest, continuously-held marathon in the nation, surpassing the Boston Marathon, since Boston was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, The Pikes Peak Ascent was canceled; however, the Marathon was carried out with health/safety precautions and staggered wave starts.
Winter Olympian Excels in the Snow
Sophia Laukli found herself in distress early on in the PPA, “At like 30 minutes in, I started kinda throwing up, and for some reason it got better as I got higher up.” The higher she got, the more snow that she encountered, which made her feel more in her element. “I was running with Judith [Wyder, second place], and when the snow came, I said, ‘Let’s go!’”
Laukli in her element, crossing the line for the win in the PPA. Photo: Peter Maksimow.
The 23-year-old, who grew up in Maine and now splits her time between Utah and Europe, knows how to move in the snow. Her 15th placing in the 30K freestyle at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games in the sport of Cross-Country Skiing proves her ability among the best in the world in the snow. Her third place at a freestyle 10K World Cup event earlier in 2023 further shows that she is on the cusp of becoming the best in the world.
Laukli has been skiing for a majority of her life, earning All-American honors at Middlebury College in Vermont, skiing for the University of Utah Ski Team, and this year joined the Salomon Nordic Ski Team. However, only recently did she become a professional trail runner when she signed a contract with Salomon Running in 2022. She didn’t expect to become a professional trail runner, but it was something she enjoyed doing in the summer months and it kept her extremely fit for skiing.
Laukli, who holds both American and Norwegian citizenship, has claimed some of the most prestigious trail and mountain races 2023, collecting wins at the Mont Blanc Marathon in France, Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland, and now the Pikes Peak Ascent in Colorado. If 2023 is a litmus test to Laukli’s trail running, she is not on the cusp of being the best in the world…she has become the best in the world at sub-ultra trail and mountain running!
Sophia Laukli post-race interview.
Judith Wyder, a Swiss citizen sponsored by Hoka and RedBull, finished less than four minutes behind Laukli, in 2:39:35. American and Brooks athlete and Trail Team member, Anna Gibson, who very recently graduated from University of Washington and was a part of the NCAA record-setting women’s indoor Distance Medley Relay team, placed third in 2:43:59.
Wyder celebrating a successful second place in the PPA. Photo: Peter Maksimow
The Trail Team Tested on the Highest Stage
The Trail Team, a pipeline to bring NCAA talent to the trails, brought four athletes to Pikes Peak to be tested against the best trail runners in the world. The team excelled in the Ascent with Anna Gibson placing 3rd, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau 11th, Sam Hendry 12th and Christian Allen 30th. This was the first time racing Pikes Peak for all four runners.
It was also the highest caliber race Beaudoin-Rousseau entered since graduating from Stanford in May. He explains, “The Golden Trail Series is changing the scene; all of the best people in the world are racing at the same races!”
Anna Gibson crossed the finish at the summit of Pikes Peak. Photo: Peter Maksimow
With that level of competition, it takes more than just talent and fitness to win. Tactics, pacing and experience play a key role in succeeding on America’s Mountain. Beaudoin-Rousseau goes on, “I learned more from Pikes than any other race in the past.”
Sam Hendry, a stand-out nordic skier who finished his NCAA eligibility for the University of Utah this spring, adds, “Pikes Peak is a unique trail race given its altitude and climbing. I think it offers great potential to bring in new talent to the trail world with its non-technical and no descent profile.” Hendry is part of that talent as he competes in his second season as a professional trail runner.
Hendry continues, “Pikes this year was a great race for me, I paced myself well and ran with athletes who know how to perform at altitude, like Noah Williams. After a conservative start, I moved up several positions pushing harder as the climb went on. I was satisfied with my 12th place finish on a picturesque day above Manitou Springs”.
Trail Team member, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, (center, Brooks uniform) at the start of the PPA. Photo: Peter Maksimow
What is intriguing is that this iconic mountain has flipped the status quo, bringing European and African talent to the US, instead of the other way around. “Pikes give an opportunity for US runners to do well in an international field,” Beaudoin-Rousseau explains. Without international travel, American-based athletes can prepare super well.
With this experience, The Trail Team athletes plan on returning to Pikes Peak next year. Beaudoin-Rousseau shares, “I”m super excited to go back. Since the second I recovered consciousness at the finish, I’ve been thinking about all the things I could do better. The race atmosphere is so special!”
[Special thanks to Andy Wacker for their contributions to this section.]
Locals Repeat in Marathon
The King and Queen of the 2022 Pikes Peak Marathon crowned again in 2023. Jonathan Aziz and Kristina Mascarenas, both of Colorado Springs, came away with dominant wins on a hot Sunday morning, claiming repeat titles in Marathon in 3:43:45 and 4:31:30, respectively. Both athletes were members of the 2022 US Trail & Mountain Running Teams (postponed from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), which competed in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Aziz and Seth DeMoor, who was the 2021 PPM champion, reached the summit within 21 seconds of each other, with Aziz leading the way in 2:19:28. Unlike 2022, where Aziz caught and passed race leader and Trail Team member, Noah Williams, in the last 1.5 miles, he made sure to put a safe buffer on DeMoor with a decent of 1:24:16 to DeMoor’s 1:31:22.
Aziz also managed to avoid any catastrophic falls, similar to one he suffered in 2022, where he required six stitches in his chin after pulling a “Superman” when his toe met a rock during the descent. A 2:15 marathoner, Aziz put his leg speed on display when he ran 4:36 (a record on Strava) for the last mile in 2022 to, “pass and keep Noah away,” he said. This year, he could relax a little in the last mile with the more than seven-minute lead he built up on the descent.
Although his overall time was a few minutes slower than his 2022 win (3:40:41), he had a legitimate reason for it, saying, “I originally wanted to push for a big course PR this year but got COVID less than two weeks out.” He was ready for a big PR, based on his workouts leading up to the race, stating, “Three weeks out, I did a full course workout in 3:53. Two weeks out, Joe Gray and I tempoed an ascent in 2:19.”
He was unsure he would even be able to participate the week of the race. “I became sick two days later [after the workout with Gray] and barely came around by race day,” Aziz said, adding, “The race felt terrible the whole time, but I just kept reminding myself that I did all the training.”
Aziz running down Barr Trail before his repeat victory in the 2023 PPM. Photo: Peter Maksimow
Women’s repeat PPM Champion, Mascarenas, who is her own toughest critic, believed she was not going to get a back-to-back victory. At the start line that morning of the PPM, she was double-dared–again by that interloping race registrar John Garner–that if she won, she would have to do a grand leap across the finish line. She replied, “If I win I’ll do a cartwheel!” She took that double-dare and when she crossed the line she appeared to be falling over, before dipping into a a perfectly executed cartwheel! “When I crossed the finish line in first and saw Garner at the timing booth, I had to keep my word and do a cartwheel,” she said.
A three-time PPM Champion (2017, 2022, 2023), Mascarenas–who comes from a long family line of amazing athletes–is arguably the greatest downhiller the PPM has ever seen, holding the top two fastest descents in race history. In fact, her record descent time of 1:28:51 is just shy of five minutes faster than the 2018 champion and then overall record holder Megan Kimmel’s 1:33:00 descent time.
Having mastered the descent, her long-time goal has been to break the three-hour barrier in the ascent portion of the race. She just needed some tough love from her brother, Jesse, saying, “The day before the race Jesse told me if I wanted this year to be different, and if I wanted to hit my goal, I couldn’t go out easy like I always do.” So, that is what she did.
“I had to go out hard, I had to be okay with being uncomfortable.” She summited in 2:56:37, a new PR, and added, “I hit Barr Camp [halfway point on Pikes Peak] three minutes early, I looked at him and he said, ‘this is where you need to be!’”
Mascarenas, putting on a MasterClass in downhill running. Photo: Peter Maksimow
“The best part of the race, aside from breaking three hours to the summit, was running past lightening point and seeing my brother and friends and they were all yelling ‘SUB-3, SUB-3, SUB-3!’” she stated with some emotion. “I almost cried!”
So, if you ever speak to Mascarenas and she seems unsure about her ability on Pikes Peak, just remind her that she is the fastest descender the PPM has ever seen…by a huge margin.
Back-to-Back PPM champs, Mascarenas and Aziz. Photo: Peter Maksimow
Firefighter Fundraising
Most people try to cut as much weight as possible before they run up a mountain–by investing in the lightest running shoes and equipment–but a group of firefighters from Brighton, Colorado, decided to do the opposite and add weight–a lot of weight–by wearing their firefighting uniform.
Firefighter Marcos Orozco was in contact with PPM race registrar, John Garner, regarding his race entry leading up to the race. Orozco was going to run the Marathon like every other person, in running shorts and shirt, but after a sneaky statement of fact (and maybe a little double daring) from Garner, it got him thinking. What did Garner tell him, you’re wondering? He wrote this: “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but nobody has ever done the race in [firefighting] gear before.”
That started the wheels turning in Orozco’s head and he called up his fellow firefighters, Daniel Prickett and Jimmy Stavlo, who would also participate in the Marathon with him, and pitched the idea. That friendly double dare lit the fire (pun intended) in their heads, and they accepted the challenge to don their Brighton-issued gear consisting of a massive fireproof coat and pants weighing in at 25 to 30 pounds.
Stavlo (left) and Prickett (right) finish the PPM side-by-side. Photo: Peter Maksimow
A while after they were accepted into the race, they found out about one of their fellow firefighter’s wife, who had developed an aggressive form of cancer and decided to run in the family’s honor while also raising money for their family to cover medical expenses. Their original endeavor to prove themselves suddenly shifted to an endeavor of altruistic purpose.
The trio created a fundraising campaign promoting the fact that they were putting on their firefighting gear to run 26.2 miles up and down the 14,115-foot Pikes Peak to help their fellow brother-in-arms and his family. “Our original goal was $5,000,” said Orozco, “but we are up to about $7,500, so our new goal is $10,000.”
Firefighters Prickett (left), Orozco (center), and Stavlo (right) speaking after the PPM. Photo: Peter Maksimow
As races–and life–sometimes go, Orozco made the tough decision to withdraw after reaching the summit, but Prickett and Stalvo pushed on down Barr Trail, chased the cutoffs, and finally crossed the finish line in downtown Manitou Springs, side-by-side, in 9:19:41 and 9:19:42, respectively. And, yes, they were very hot in the 80-degree heat of the last remaining miles.
Full PPA & PPM Results can be found here.
