All Videos Tagged Alex (Pikes Peak Sports) - Pikes Peak Sports

Alex Nichols talks about winning the Pikes Peak Marathon

2015-08-18T03:33:13.249Z

Alex Nichols said his ascent of 14,115 foot Pikes Peak was painful and he was concerned when Rickey Gates and Abu Diriba pulled away to hit the summit ahead of him. But his downhill skills served him well. Nichols caught and passed them both to take the win in 3:46:40. Diriba finished second with Gates running home in third place. Nichols had tried twice before to win the marathon, but finished second. He is the first American to win the men's race since Matt Carpenter in 2011.

Rickey Gates, Abu Diriba, Alex Nichols make the turn in the 2015 Pikes Peak Marathon

2015-08-18T01:56:02.263Z

The top three men in the 2015 Pikes Peak Marathon tagged the mountain's 14,115-foot summit and turned for home on Sunday, Aug. 16. Alex Nichols, who was third at the top, used his descending skills to reel in Rickey Gates and Abu Diriba and take the win, his first in three attempts. Nichols finished in 3 hours, 46 minutes, 40 seconds. Diriba was second in 3:54:04. Gates followed in 3:55:29. Nichols, 30, of Colorado Springs, is the first American to win the race in four years. He placed second in 2012 and 2013.

Alex Nichols blasts Greenland Trail 50K course record

2014-05-03T19:58:58.006Z

Alex Nichols, 28, of Colorado Springs, had hoped to run fast at the Greenland Trail 50K on Saturday, but he never expected to crush the race record. His main competition (and good friend) Pete Maksimow - the record-holder who had won the race in each of the last three years - had charged out to an early lead and didn't seem to be slowing down as the two began the final of four laps. "That first lap, Peter just kind of took off on me," Nichols said. "I wasn't feeling very hot that first lap, so I just let him go."
But in the final miles, Nichols had the wheels while Maksimow began to fade.
"As the race progressed I felt better and better," Nichols said. "I got some more gel in me, some more fluids, and that made a big difference. I was very surprised at myself."
Maksimow had the record in mind as he burned through the first 24 miles of the gravel course that rolls across former cow pasture at about 7,000 feet altitude.
"I was going for it, which is what you have to do if you want the record," Maksimow said. "I may have been too fast on my first two laps because that last lap I completely exploded."
Nichols kept his pace - 6:14 per mile and negative splits on each lap - and pulled away to win in 3:13:37.
Maksimow, who is running strong after a frustrating two-year bout with injuries, did finish better than his old course standard, crossing in 3:20:01.

Interview with Alex Nichols, winner of the Barr Trail Mountain Race

2013-07-14T21:42:06.434Z

Alex Nichols talks about winning the Barr Trail Mountain Race, his chance of earning a spot on the U.S. Mountain Running Team, and racing in Europe.

Alex Nichols at the summit in the Pikes Peak Marathon

2012-08-19T23:55:23.100Z

Colorado Springs runner Alex Nichols ran stride-for-stride with Kilian Jornet before leg cramps forced him to slow down. Nichols tagged Pikes Peak's 14,115-foot summit in second place and held the position all the way to the finish. He has several Ascent finishes to his credit, but chose to run the marathon to compete against Kilian Jornet of Spain, the eventual race winner.
"I wanted to race against Kilian," Nichols said. "He's good and I feel like I should run against the best."
Nichols clocked 3:47:22, about seven minutes off of Jornet's winning pace.