MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. - Hanging out beneath a shade tree at the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon Expo in 2012, Killian Jornet, arguably the world’s most famous mountain runner, signed autographs and visited with fellow runners and race fans.

They wanted to know what the tough Spaniard from the Salomon Trail Running Team thought about Pikes Peak. How did it stack up against the big European races? Jornet happily explained his fascination with America’s Mountain.

“When I started mountain running seven years ago, the races that everybody talked about were Sierre-Zinal (Switzerland), Zegama in Spain, and Pikes Peak in America,” Jornet said. “These are the three most important races in the world.”

It is for this reason, and many more, that Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc., the umbrella organization for the Triple Crown of Running, and PikesPeakSports.us, a web-based outdoor publication in Colorado Springs, have teamed up to relaunch PikesPeakSports.us as the voice of the Pikes Peak Marathon. The content plan for the new version of the online magazine and social network will include stories, video, photos and blogs centric to the Pikes Peak events, as well as regional and national running coverage.

“We’re going to cover the events, the people and trends that are interesting to Pikes Peak runners,” said Tim Bergsten, founder and manager of PikesPeakSports.us. “We’ll explore how running shapes the unique culture of our mountain, and we’ll follow our runners to big stages such as the Mt. Washington Road Race and the U.S. Mountain Running Championships in New Hampshire, the Rut Mountain Runs in Montana, and other big mountain-ultra-trail races throughout the West.” 

The online magazine will also provide a dynamic platform for race sponsors and supporters.

“There are many people and organizations that support the Pikes Peak races,” said Karole Campbell, Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc., marketing manager. “With the magazine we’ll be able to offer our partners a year-round presence on a website that is actively pursuing readers and engaging in the larger running community.”

PikesPeakSports.us launched in 2010 as a community website and social network dedicated to active and healthful living in the Pikes Peak region.  Marketing itself as “A Digital Stomping Ground for the Outdoor Community,” and a social network “Like Facebook for People with Rocks in their Shoes,” PikesPeakSports.us gained traction among the active niche of runners and cyclists in the Colorado Springs area. PikesPeakSports.us will remain a partner of the Pikes Peak region’s outdoor community.

“We have no intentions of forgetting our roots,” Bergsten said. “And I know the team at the Pikes Peak Marathon is very dedicated to supporting local races and events.”

The new magazine will, however, aim for larger audiences, sharing news of the Pikes Peak races and the trail-running life enjoyed by area athletes, elite-level runners and mid-packers alike.

This year marks the 61^st running of the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, a race that began as a challenge between smokers and non-smokers. Since then it has become one of the premier mountain races in the world and a bucket-list event for runners of various abilities. Pikes Peak is also hallowed ground, of sorts, for women runners. In 1959 Arlene Pieper became the first woman to run a marathon in the United States when she completed the Pikes Peak Marathon in 9 hours, 16 minutes.

“The Pikes Peak Marathon started the tradition of Colorado Springs-area running,” said Ron Ilgen, Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. president. “Since then it has become a leader in the mountain running world and in local running. PikesPeakSports.us will allow the organization to continue in this role by providing news and information about our historic events, and content of interest to our runners and sponsorship partners.”