Welcome to the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon! This year’s events are rich with stories about unique and tough runners, or, as race director Ron Ilgen likes to say, “Extraordinary people doing an amazing thing.”

 The marathon is billed as America’s Ultimate Challenge, and you’ll soon find out why. Running to the top of Pikes Peak and back is difficult, but covering the races can be challenging as well.

 To make things a little easier, we’ve assembled some information that should help. Think of it as a media survival guide.

 PRESS RECEPTION AND CONFERENCE (NEW TIME, DATE, LOCATION)

1 p.m., Friday, Memorial Park in Manitou Springs: This is a don’t-miss opportunity to interview the top runners in this year’s race (see list provided below). We’ll have media kits stuffed with race info for you at the press conference. We’ll also provide the Subway Sandwiches.

 PRESS CREDENTIALS

Pick up press credentials from Carol Korth at the registration table at the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon Expo beginning at 9 a.m. Friday at Memorial Park in Manitou Springs. Please bring your media ID. Credentials will give you access to the marathon finisher tent (at the corner of Ruxton and Manitou Blvd.) on Sunday. You will have full access to all areas of the Pikes Peak Ascent finish line at the summit on Saturday. Access to the summit on Ascent day is available via the media van (see below), or by driving to Devil’s Playground and catching the race shuttle to the summit. It is a very efficient system. Your press credential will not allow you to drive to the summit.

 PIKES PEAK ASCENT

7 a.m. (first wave) and 7:30 a.m. (second wave) Saturday, Aug. 18: The faster runners will start at 7 a.m. at the corner of Manitou Ave. and El Paso Blvd. A second wave will start 30 minutes later. Each wave contains about 800 runners.

PRESS VAN TO THE SUMMIT

We’ll provide a ride to the summit of Pikes Peak for the finish of the Ascent. The media van will be parked near the starting line, next to Manitou Springs City Hall (easy to find). The media van will leave for the summit at about 7:45-8 a.m. If you miss the media van, you can still reach the summit

by driving to the Devil’s Playground parking area (about two miles below the summit) and catching a shuttle to the summit. The shuttle system is very efficient. There won’t be a media van for Sunday’s marathon.

THE PIKES PEAK MARATHON

7 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 19: There will be 800 runners in Sunday’s marathon, which begins at the corner of Manitou Ave. and El Paso Blvd. near Manitou Springs City Hall, and ends at the corner of Ruxton Ave. and Manitou Ave.

 RACE-DAY PARKING

Parking is difficult on race mornings so please plan your time accordingly. Manitou Ave. will be closed near the startling line area by 5 a.m. to all traffic. There is no parking on Manitou Ave. in the closed areas or between the start and Ruxton Ave. Parking is permitted on most other streets but observe the NO PARKING signs. Cars in violation of notices will be towed by MSPD!

PRE-RACE DINNERS/AWARDS CEREMONIES

One of the biggest names in running, Bart Yasso, Chief Running Officer at Runner’s World Magazine, will speak at the all-you-can eat pre-race spaghetti dinner at 5 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park. He’ll also serve as master of ceremonies for the Ascent Awards Celebration and Pikes Peak Marathon Dinner, 5 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Park. The awards ceremony for the Pikes Peak Marathon is slated for 3 p.m. Sunday at Soda Springs Park, across the street from the marathon finish line.

THE BOUNTY … WHO CAN REACH THE TOP IN TWO HOURS?

This year, the Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc. board of directors created the Pikes Peak Ascent Bounty, a prize money incentive structure that encourages more competition.

The Bounty works like this: The first male to complete the Ascent, or Ascent portion of the Pikes Peak Marathon in less than two hours will win $5,000. The first female to eclipse 2:32 wins the same.

In addition, there will be a Pikes Peak Ascent course record award of $2,000 for the first male and first female to break the records of 2:01:06 (Matt Carpenter, 1993) and 2:33:31 (Lynn Bjorklund, 1981) respectively. If the course record is broken by running under two hours, the runner will receive the $5,000 Bounty bonus only.

The top four Pikes Peak Ascent cash awards male and female will be doubled to: First place, $2,000; second place, $1,200; third place, $600; and fourth place, $200.

And the Ascent Challenge - $1,000 for the fastest Pikes Peak Ascent time in either the Ascent or Marathon - remains in place.

Any male or female runner in the Pikes Peak Ascent could win as much as $8,000.

In the Pikes Peak Marathon, the first male and female runners to break the course record (3:16:39, Carpenter, 1993; and 4:15:18, Bjorklund, 1981) will win $4,000. This prize incentive includes runners who may have also won the Pikes Peak Ascent Bounty.

And marathon prize money has doubled to: first place, $3,000, second place, $1,200, third place, $600; and fourth place, $200.

Plus, for the Marathon, the Skyrunner organization is donating $1,000 for the first-place male and first-place female.

One good run by a man or woman in the Marathon, could pay $14,000.

THE COMPETITION

ASCENT: The race to the summit of Pikes Peak is loaded with fantastic athletes including the 2012 U.S. Mountain Running Champions Sage Canaday of Boulder, and Kim Dobson of Grand Junction. Other top runners include Mario Macias, 2011 Pikes Peak Ascent Champion; Tommy Manning, two-time second-place finisher Pikes Peak Ascent; Simon Gutierrez, three-time Pikes Peak Ascent Champion; Ryan Hafer, youngest winner of Pikes Peak Ascent; Tim Parr, 2009 Pikes Peak Ascent Champion; and Ricky Gates, 2011 Mount Washington champion.

In the women’s race, two-time Pikes Peak Ascent Champion Brandy Erholtz, and Anna Frost (third, 2010 Pikes Peak Ascent) are contenders for the championship title as well.

MARATHON: Twelve-time Pikes Peak Marathon Champion Matt Carpenter, 48, is expected to defend his string of five consecutive victories. He’ll be joined by Kilian Jornet of Spain, widely known as the best mountain runner in the world, and Max King, the 2011 World Mountain Running Champion.

Among the women, watch for Michele Suszek, 2012 U.S. 50-mile champion, and Kasie Enman, 2011 World Mountain Running Champion.

2012 Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent schedule
Friday, August 17, Manitou Springs, Memorial Park (under the Big Top)
9 a.m.-7 p.m.: Packet Pick-up, media credential pick-up
10 a.m.–7 p.m.: Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent Merchandise Sales
10 a.m.–7 p.m.: Race Expo – Sponsor/Vendor Displays
1 p.m.: Press conference, Memorial Park, Manitou Springs

5–7 p.m.: Kiwanis Club Spaghetti Dinner - $12.00
6 p.m.: Pre-Race Speaker Program Featuring Bart Yasso, “Never Limit Where Running Can Take You”
6:30 p.m. Pikes Peak Pundit Panel Session Q & A.
Saturday, August 18, Manitou Springs, Memorial Park
5:30-7:15 a.m.: Packet Pick-up - Ascent Only
7 a.m.: Pikes Peak Ascent, Wave 1 Start
7:30 a.m.: Pikes Peak Ascent, Wave 2 Start
11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Post-Race Message
Noon-3 p.m.: Post Race Celebration – Runner’s Snack
1-7 p.m.: Packet Pickup, marathon
1-7 p.m.: Race Expo – Sponsor/Vendor Displays
1-8:30 p.m.: Pikes Peak Ascent Celebration
5-7 p.m.: Kiwanis Club Spaghetti Dinner - $12.00
5-6 p.m.: Pikes Peak Ascent Awards Presentation Master of Ceremonies: Bart Yasso
6–7 p.m. Pikes Peak Pundit Panel Session – Q&A
Sunday, August 19, Manitou Springs - Soda Springs Park
5:30-6:45 a.m.: Packet Pickup (Memorial Park)
7 a.m. Pikes Peak Marathon Start
Noon-5 p.m.: Post Race Massage
Noon–3 p.m.: Post Race Celebration – Runner’s Snacks
3 -4 p.m.: Pikes Peak Marathon Awards Presentation