Pikes Peak Marathon

The 71th Annual Pikes Peak Marathon

26.2 miles with 7,834ft of elevation gain (and loss).

From Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak and then back again.

This is not your average marathon, it is America's Ultimate Challenge.

 

 

 

 

Runners do NOT need to complete a "qualifier" in order to register or compete in the 2026 Pikes Peak Marathon. 

 

To cut down on congestion in the early parts of the race, runners are divided into small 100 person "starting waves" that will leave at assigned times. To help the race registrar place you into an appropriate starting wave, you may (optionally) submit the results of a previous race or run that allows us to estimate your time to reach the summit. 

All submitted times will be verified by the registrar. If we are unable to validate your wave placement time, we will attempt to contact you via the email address you used for registration. 

If you do not have a result to submit for placement in an earlier starting wave, simply select "None" when asked during registration.  You have until August 1st to update your entry if you wish to be placed in an earlier starting wave, otherwise you will be seeded into one of the later starting waves. 

If you have several possible events to choose from, you may go to this site to see which one would put you in the earliest possible starting wave. 

Runners who register after August 1st will be seeded in the last starting wave. 

 

Permitted Start Wave Qualifier Categories

Runners may submit a result under any of the following categories for starting wave placement. Note that your results from the 2026 Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run and Barr Trail Mountain Race are automatically used if they will improve your starting wave placement, you do not need to submit them. 

 

Pikes Peak Ascent or Marathon 

Recent Pikes Peak times:

• You have completed the Pikes Peak Ascent or Pikes Peak Marathon in the past 4 years (2022+) with a time under the cutoff of 6:30:00 for the Ascent or 10:00:00 for the Marathon. Your fastest Ascent time in the past 4 years is used for wave placement purposes. 

Older Pikes Peak times:

• You have previously finished either the Ascent or Marathon but have not done so in the past 4 years, we will use your most recent Ascent or Marathon time for wave placement purposes. 

Barr Trail Mountain Race

• You may use a previous Barr Trail Mountain Race time if you have completed the BTMR in under 4:00:00 in the past 4 years (2022+). 

Full and Half Marathon

• You may use a Marathon Distance (26.2 miles) or Half Marathon (13.1 miles) race or run as a qualifier if you have completed the event within the last 3 years (Jan 1st, 2023 or newer). 

 

Ultra / Trail / Other

To use an Ultra, Trail, or Other event as a qualifier, you must have competed in an organized race on or after Jan 1st, 2023 that meets one of the event type as outlined below. The race must have been a permitted event that is open to the public and the results must be recorded and publicly posted by the race organizer. 

Event Type - Any running event that meets at least one of the following criteria may be used as a qualifier: 

• Any race over 26.2 miles
• Any trail race over 10 miles on predominantly unimproved dirt trails (no concrete paths, dirt roads, rails to trails, or similar)
• Any race where there is at least 4,000ft between the lowest point on the course and the highest point on the course and you travel from lowest point to highest point.
• Any Xterra "Long", Half Ironman (70.3), or longer Triathlons

 

Barr Trail Self-Timed: Hydro -> NoName 

You may use a self-timed run along a portion of the PPA Course as follows: 

• Starting from the corner of Hydro Street and Ruxton Ave, follow the race course up to the NoName Aid Station.
• The run must be completed on or after Jan 1st, 2026
• Provide the share link from Strava, Garmin Connect, or other system you used to record the run when registering.
• Only the uphill segment will be considered.
• Please be careful when descending down the trail and remember to yield to uphill trail users. 

 

Self-Timed

• A self-timed qualifier consists of completing a 10 mile or longer run. 
• The qualifying run must be from January 1, 2025 or newer.
• There are no restrictions on the surface or elevation gain/loss. 
• The run must be done outdoors and recorded with a GPS enabled device or smartphone.  
• Time counted is the overall elapsed time. 
• Provide the share link from Strava, Garmin Connect, or other system you used to record the run when registering. Alternatively, you may submit a link to a race result that satisfies the 10 mile minimum distance. 
• There are no adjustments made for course difficulty. (e.g., the R2R or self-timed Ascent may be used but we will treat it like it was a flat course)

Marathon: Shirt Size

Half Priced Award Entry: Shirt Size