⏵ Course guide · America's oldest marathon
The Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent climb the historic Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, about 7,800 vertical feet, on a race founded in 1956 that remains the oldest continually held marathon in the country. I will walk you through the climb and the difference between the two races first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan for high-altitude vertical, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from the official Pikes Peak Marathon site. Check the current year details, cutoffs, and registration window before you commit. Race logistics change year to year.
Both races share the same trail and the same climb. What differs is whether you stop at the summit or turn around and come back down it.
The Ascent climbs about 7,800 vertical feet up Barr Trail from Manitou Springs and finishes at the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak. It used to run on the same day as the Marathon before splitting into its own event in the 1980s, once its popularity outgrew sharing race day, and now runs on the Saturday before the Marathon.
The Marathon covers the identical 7,800-foot climb to the summit, then turns around and descends the same Barr Trail back to Manitou Springs, for 26.2 total miles. The descent is technical and demands as much respect as the climb, since tired legs on steep, uneven trail after a summit effort is where many runners find their race actually gets harder, not easier.
Founded in 1956, the Pikes Peak Marathon is the oldest continually held marathon in the United States. That history is part of the draw: you are running the same trail, to the same summit, that generations of mountain runners have tested themselves against since well before trail running became the sport it is today.
The combination of sustained vertical and thinning air above treeline means pacing here has to account for both grade and altitude, not grade alone.
A grade-adjusted pace target for the Barr Trail climb gives you a starting number, but the effect of altitude compounds as you gain elevation, particularly above 12,000 feet where oxygen becomes noticeably scarcer. Build in more margin the higher you go rather than assuming a flat percentage slowdown applies evenly across the whole climb.
If you are running the Marathon, resist the temptation to empty the tank on the way to the summit. The technical descent back down Barr Trail punishes fatigued legs, and a finish-time projection that accounts for a realistic, not heroic, descent pace will serve you better than one built only around your climbing fitness.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
The altitude here matters as much as the mileage. Plan your fueling and hydration around thinning air, not just around distance.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour if you are running the Marathon's full 26.2 miles, scaling down somewhat for the shorter Ascent. Since the official race site does not publish an aid station list for this guide, plan to carry more of your own fueling than you might on a lower-altitude race of similar length.
Above treeline, the dry mountain air pulls moisture from you faster than the effort alone would suggest, and many runners underestimate their fluid needs at altitude because they do not sweat as visibly as they would at sea level. Start well hydrated and drink on a schedule through the climb rather than waiting until you feel thirsty.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a high-altitude summit day with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.
⏵ Train for it with Summit Line
Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, this exact 7,800-foot climb to 14,115 feet, and your projected splits to the summit. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for sustained high-altitude vertical, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
It is one of the hardest marathons in the country by design. The course climbs about 7,800 vertical feet up the historic Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, then brings you back down the same trail, for 26.2 total miles that mix relentless climbing with a technical, knee-testing descent. Founded in 1956, it is the oldest continually held marathon in the United States, and the altitude alone, on top of the vertical, humbles runners who show up with only flat-marathon experience.
The Marathon and the Ascent each climb about 7,800 vertical feet up Barr Trail to the 14,115-foot summit. The Marathon does that climb and then descends the same trail back to Manitou Springs, so the total elevation change for the full 26.2 miles is roughly 15,600 feet between the ascent and descent combined, almost all of it on a single trail.
The Ascent is 13.3 miles, one way, climbing Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak and finishing there. The Marathon covers the same climb plus the full descent back down, 26.2 miles total. The two events used to run on the same day but split into separate races in the 1980s once the Ascent grew popular enough to stand on its own; the Marathon now runs the day after the Ascent.
With about 7,800 feet of climbing to a 14,115-foot summit, altitude will affect your fueling and hydration more than the mileage alone suggests. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour on the Marathon's longer effort, and hydrate deliberately, since the thin air above treeline dehydrates you faster than you will feel in the moment. The official race site does not publish an aid station list for this guide, so plan to carry more of your own fueling than you might on a lower-altitude race of similar length.
Only if you have altitude experience and real vertical training. Climbing to 14,115 feet on a single sustained trail, then descending the same technical terrain for the Marathon, is a serious undertaking even for experienced trail runners. If this would be your first race above treeline, consider the Ascent instead of the full Marathon, since finishing at the summit removes the technical descent that catches unprepared runners on the way down.
Founded in 1956, it is the oldest continually held marathon in the United States, predating most of the road marathons that now dominate the calendar. The Ascent grew out of the Marathon's own popularity, splitting into its own race in the 1980s. Running either event puts you on a trail with nearly seven decades of continuous racing history up one of Colorado's most iconic 14,000-foot peaks.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/pikes-peak-marathon-ascent">The Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/pikes-peak-marathon-ascent" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, and registration windows come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.
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