The Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series, one of the oldest racing series in the state, is set to begin its 32nd year.

The first races are scheduled for Jan. 8 at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. There will be long and short-course routes on each of four weekends.

The schedule is: Jan. 8, Cheyenne Mountain State Park, 3.3 and 7 miles; Jan. 22, El Pomar Youth Sports Park, 4 and 8 miles; Feb. 12, Santa Fe Trail at Baptist Road, 5 and 10 miles; Feb. 26, Black Forest, 10K and 20K.

Short races begin at 10 a.m. Long runs start at 10:15 a.m.

Register at active.com.

Longtime local runners and Pikes Peak Road Runners club members Michael Shafai and John Gardner serve as co-race directors. Shafai, who recently served as club vice president has 27 marathon and three Ironman Triathlon finishes to his credit. Gardner is club president and has 10 Pikes Peak Ascent and five Pikes Peak Marathon finishes. Read more about them here.

Shafai, who also runs the Sunrise Striders training runs, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

We all know the runners in Colorado Springs are a tough bunch, but what do you think attracts runners to the Winter Series?
The Winter Series attracts the purest of the pure runners, or those who are on their way to a severe running addiction. One needs to really
love running if they’re going to brave the weather they’ll either face
on race day, or while training. It is a pure, cross-country style
running experience.

The series has been going on for a long time, do you have a good story about a cold run you can share?
There are a handful of stories that come out of any given year. Since
my involvement, I can think of a dozen. I know Pat Lockhart could
probably write a book. In recent years, we’ve had “issues” with
weather, especially on the north end of town.

Back when the first race was held in Fox Run Regional Park, it was canceled two out of four years (2006 and 2009). In 2009, John and I, along with a couple of other
volunteers, went to the park to check on conditions and see how the
course-marking was coming. Phil and Bob Foster, who used to mark that
course every year, got Phil’s pick-up truck stuck in a FLAT parking lot,
which had frozen up into an ice skating rink. They literally had to
get towed out of the lot. The course was in similar condition. We
decided it would be too dangerous to send 600 runners at full speed on
those trails, canceling the race the night before. We had an army of
volunteers calling the pre-registered runners for whom we had phone
numbers.
The next morning, John and I went out to break the news to anyone we
couldn’t reach by phone the night before. Ironically, the weather was
gorgeous, and some of the runners went out and ran anyway. I don’t
blame them.
That day was also John’s 50th birthday. His brothers flew in from
Arizona and Washington that morning as a surprise and showed up at the
park to run the race. When I saw them pulling up, I recognized them and
asked John to go tell them the race was off. He was about halfway
through his speech before he recognized his own brothers, who pretended
to be very angry about the cancelation. It was pretty darn funny.

What advice would you give somebody who is running the Winter Series for the first time?
Training is always a good thing to do. But if you haven’t started now,
just show up and have fun. Just be prepared for the conditions. Know
that it’s likely to be very cold before you start running and when
you’re done, but you’ll warm up quickly once the race starts.

Show up in layers that are easy to add and remove. Also, bring some traction for snowy and icy conditions. We never know what it’ll be like
out there until we check the course the morning of the race.
Kahtoola’s, YakTrax, or screw shoes are good to have in your car.
Hopefully you won’t need them, but if conditions are bad, you’ll be glad
you had them with you.
Also, runners should keep in mind this is a low-key, volunteer-driven,
pure racing series. We don’t do race packets and we don’t accept
sponsorship opportunities. Race fees are low, as our goal is to simply
break even, make some friends, and provide a service to the running
community. If you’re expecting an event, like the Race for the Cure, or
a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, you won’t find it here.
Be sure to thank the many volunteers you’ll encounter when you register,
park, race, and finish. They tolerate some of the nastiest conditions
to put this thing on. At least John and I get to race (we alternate
running each race).

Anything different about the series, rules changes etc.. for this year that runners should know?
We don’t really have rules. Just play fair and respect others. In
Cheyenne Mountain State Park, just like last year, there are a couple of
things runners need to be aware of however.
Because of the limited parking in the park, we’re requesting that people
carpool, including volunteers and spectators. Once the lots are full,
the ranger will deny entry to others, even pre-registered runners. So
make use of mama’s minivan and load it up with as many stinky runners as
you can fit inside (legally).
Also, the Cheyenne Mountain course ultimately ends up on a narrow,
twisty singletrack trail. It’s critical that runners line up at the
start according to their ability. Slower runners should not be lined up
in front, as they will create a bottleneck on the narrow sections of
the course. There will be two-way traffic on the Talon Trail as the
lead runners will be moving rather quickly down the trail toward the
finish, while others are making their way up. Please yield to the lead
runners, similar to Pikes Peak Marathon rules.
We will be changing the start just a bit, taking runners through the
lower parking lot and onto the trails, avoiding a very narrow section of
trail where a bottleneck occurred in 2010. And with this change, the
finish line chutes will be on the singletrack behind the playground
area, near the lower parking lot. If the weather is really bad, runners
will actually finish by climbing the stairs into the lot. Should be
fun.
Finally, I previously mentioned the fact that we’re a non-profit,
volunteer-driven organization. The average cost for a 5K race in the
area is around $25. In all likelihood, for the money, you’ll get a
t-shirt you’ll never wear, but hopefully, a portion of the funds will go
to a charity you support. For the Winter Series, if you register
online, you’ll pay $45 total for all four races. The price is the same
whether you do the long or short series. For the money, you’ll get:
- Either 18 or 36 miles worth of racing fun.
- Free parking at Cheyenne Mountain State Park (we actually pay the $7 for you)
- Two pairs of awesome DeFeet running gloves (about $20/pair retail)
- Two 2011 Winter Series pint glasses
- An excuse to train through the colder months while your fellow age-groupers are gaining weight and slowing down.
As a self-described tightwad, I can attest there’s no better value in running today than the Winter Series.

OK, so the word on the street is you really like the Cheyenne
Mountain State Park course. Tell us why, and maybe you can share some
insider's knowledge on the other courses as well.
John and I scoped out many different locations for a replacement for the
Fox Run course. As trail runners ourselves, we know what we like:
great scenery, killer views, twisty trails, and challenging climbs.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park offers all of these. I went out and ran it
solo just last weekend and simply fell in love with it all over again.
It’s just that beautiful. Also, from a racing perspective, the long
course reminds me a lot of the current Summer Roundup Trail Run course,
only more beautiful and less monotonous on the climbing sections.
Runners will head up a rolling, mostly uphill trail. Then at about
mile-two of the long course, they’ll begin a long challenging climb
before they loop back and start heading back downhill. The 2nd half of
the race is all downhill and very fast. The last mile or so widens out
so there is plenty of room for passing. Strategy is important on this
course. Fast downhillers will definitely have some opportunity to close
the distance on the climbers.
Given the varied trail conditions in the winter, the other three courses
are staged on wider trails and dirt roads with a decent amount of sun
exposure. Races two and three are held on different sections of the
Santa Fe Trail. The fourth course is held on the dirt roads of Black
Forest. These latter courses favor strong road racers, in my opinion,
but are fun and challenging in their own regards. The last race in the
long course is nearly a half marathon in length. But at 7,000 feet in
elevation, on a course teeming with rolling hills and frequent
headwinds, it’s definitely a tough one. For anyone building a
foundation for spring races, like the Colorado Marathon in May, that
fourth race at the end of February provides a great springboard into
March.
Come on out and begin making headway on all those New Year’s resolutions you made!

More info available at the Pikes Peak Road Runners website!