Pikes Peak Ascent is the 21.4km trail race at Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon 2026 (Manitou Springs, United States). The race starts on September 19, 2026 at 07:00 AM. It starts in Manitou Springs and finishes in Pikes Peak summit. The time limit is 6 h 30 min.
Start easy, build your effort, and go all out at the finish.
The course climbs 2382m+. With 111m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 93% of the distance is uphill, 0% downhill and 7% flat. The longest climb runs 21.3km at an average 11.1% grade (2366m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 19.2% over 0.4km. Surface: 90% trail and 7% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 41.1 FlatKM.
Poles bring little benefit here: only about 13.2km of pole-friendly terrain.
There is too little runnable descent to damage the quads: plan the race around climbing and fuelling.
On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 6°C to 15°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 25%.
1,589 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Joseph Gray (United States) in 2:15:14. Women's winner: Anna Gibson (United States) in 2:37:22.
This page has the full results and splits, a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for Pikes Peak Ascent.
Other distances of Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon 2026Pikes Peak Marathon (42.2km)
Other editions of Pikes Peak Ascent2027
Official websitewww.pikespeakmarathon.org
