No, I didn't run it, but my friend Jen did and it sounds like it was a nightmare. It was like 45 and raining in Manitou Springs when it started. It would have been better for the runners if it was colder because it is really bad to be already soaked to the bone when you are running up into winter conditions complete with sub freezing temps, snow, hail, lightning, and wind. They let some of the runners finish, but then they were stranded at the top of Pike's Peak because the road was closed due to the bad conditions. By the time Jen hit the A-Frame at 11,950 feet, there were 80 people at the top with hypothermia (out of the 200 or so who were up there), and it was lightning, snowing, and hailing. So they started turning people around at the A-Frame.
Keep in mind that at this point, Jen only had 3 miles to go to make it to the summit. Instead, race organizers told her that for her own safety, she would have to turn around and run 10.2 miles back down to the start. So, she did. 20 miles. Up and down Pike's Peak. She is a stud! Congrats, Jen! You are awesome!
2 comments:
why didn't they cancel it ahead of time and reschedule? or did it come on suddenly?
They never reschedule and they don't like to cancel for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that people come here from other states to run it and they can't always come back another time. Jen was here from KC for a week to acclimate before the race. Also, when you train for something like that, your training program is geared for you to peak at that specific time. Move the race back a week or forward a week and it can really mess you up. So they do everything they can to let the race go on. They had tons of medical personnel and search and rescue people there to help out.
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