When it comes to working out the details for a major event, there may not be a harder working person that Susan Guynn, operations lead for the Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent. Preparing to run 2,400 runners up and down Pikes Peak, with limited road access is a little like occupying another country. Everything must be hauled in. Water is one of the big logistical problems, solved by 2,100 feet of garden hose and massive water tanks where the roads allow. At one aid station at timberline, water is pumped for the creek by a staff that spends two nights preparing for the thirsty athletes. Transportation is another problem. About 1,600 runners in the Ascent, which finishes at the top of Pikes Peak, will need a ride down the mountain. That's solved with 35 vans and 15 school buses. In all, Guynn said the operation runs with the help of 500 to 600 volunteers, a rowdy but effective group organized by volunteer coordinator Debbie Swanson.