By Bob Stephens
PikesPeakSports.us

Touru Miyahara’s journey to the summit of Pikes Peak was much longer than it was for any of the other 1,800 runners who competed Saturday in the Ascent.

That didn’t keep him from overcoming a stiff challenge from Andy Wacker – thought by most experts to be the favorite going in – and emerging as the winner of the 13-mile race.

Miyahara, who won the Pikes Peak Marathon two years ago, is from Shizuoka, Japan, about a two-hour drive from Tokyo. He flew 20 hours to get to Colorado Springs three days prior to the Ascent and said the trip took its toll.

“This was very hard,” he said through a Japanese interpreter while forcing a smile. “I have heavy jet lag.”

Miyahara said winning the Ascent was more difficult than when he won the Marathon in 2013.

“The speed of this race was high in the beginning,” he said. “It was difficult to win.”

His winning time of 2:15:42 was about six minutes slower than expected.

Miyahara, who is a sergeant in the Japanese Army, is the 32-year-old father of two children, a boy and a girl. He made a point of saying, “It’s a great honor to win the Pikes Peak Ascent.”

And, he hopes to return next year, he said.

Wacker, who finished third in his first Ascent a year ago, was second in 2:18:36. He led the race for about 11 miles but said he couldn’t shake Miyahara.

“He was probably 30 seconds behind me for a long time, and it was obvious he wasn’t going to go away,” Wacker said. “When he passed me, he did it pretty easily. He was really good when we got above the tree line. It’s basically like going up steps at that point, and it was like I was walking up steps and he was running up steps.”

Wacker, who finished second in July at the World Mountain Running Long Distance Championships in Switzerland, will also represent the United States in the Sept. 19 World Mountain Running Championships (a shorter course) in Snowdonia, Wales.

His ultimate goal, Wacker said, would be to run for the U.S. in the Olympic Marathon.

“I have no excuses, but I’m disappointed because I wanted to win and I’m the guy who wants to go for the record (time),” said Wacker, 26, who lives in Boulder, Colo. “Finishing second motivates me to come back next year and win. I just need more mountain training, more above the tree line.”

With about three miles left, Wacker said he veered off the course.

“It was about the A Frame, right about the tree line,” he said. “It was my fault and (Miyahara) followed me. It’s hard when you’re hypoxic and you’re just staring at the trail and putting one foot in front of the other.”

Other runners veered off the trail later in the race, as directional cones had been changed, but the problem was quickly fixed. Race Director Ron Ilgen was aware of both situations and said the order in which runners finished the race would remain official.

Finishing third was Tim Parr (2:23:52) of Leadville, who won the Ascent in 2009. He was followed by 49-year-old three-time winner Simon Gutierrez (2:24:30) of Colorado Springs, Peter Maksimow (2:30:25) of Manitou Springs – site of the race’s start and Sunday’s start and finish of the Marathon – and Galen Burrell (2:30:55) of San Anselmo, Calif.

Kyle O’Brien (2:32:08) of Arvada, Colo., was seventh, followed by Brian Folts (2:35:10) of Lakewood, Colo., Jonathan Severy (2:38:29) of Santa Fe, N.M., and Jason Donald (2:38:42) of Broomfield, Colo.

Kim Dobson (2:40:44) of Eagle, Colo., was 11^th overall and the first female finisher.

Parr, 33, is among the rare breed who will “double” and run in Sunday’s Marathon. His goal is to reach the podium in each race by finishing in the top three.

“I really thought I could podium (in the Ascent) but when I was eighth, I wasn’t so sure,” Parr said. “I moved up to sixth at Barr Camp and kept improving.”

Parr said he expected to feel good again by Sunday morning’s 7 a.m. start.

“I feel decent now,” he said just minutes after finishing the Ascent. “I’m a little salt deprived but it was an uphill race so my legs aren’t totally trashed. A hot shower will feel really good.”