Your plan in four answers
Set for September 18, 2027, about 47 weeks out.
- Distances
- 21K
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Field
- Capped at 1,800 runners by the U.S. Forest Service
- Taper starts
- September 6, 2027
Course
The Pikes Peak Ascent course
The Ascent starts at 7:00 AM outside Manitou Springs City Hall at 6,300 feet and finishes on the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, 13.3 miles and about 7,800 vertical feet later (an 11% average grade). The first 1.5 miles are road through town before the course joins the historic Barr Trail and climbs the switchbacks known as the W's.
Read the full course notes
Checkpoints mark the story: No Name Creek at mile 4.3 (8,800 feet), Barr Camp at mile 7.6 (10,200 feet) and the A-Frame at tree line, mile 10.2 (12,000 feet), each with a cutoff. The last 3.1 miles gain about 2,050 feet above tree line on loose gravel, including the step-ups of the 16 Golden Stairs, with a 6:30 finish cutoff. The surface is decomposed granite with roots and rock in the forest, and the thin air above 12,000 feet slows everyone.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 21K
- Field
- Capped at 1,800 runners by the U.S. Forest Service
- Weather on race day
- Manitou Springs is usually mild at the start, but temperatures can differ by up to 50 °F between the start and the summit, where it is typically 35 to 55 °F by 10 AM. Storm cells can drop summit temperatures into the 30s, and lightning above tree line is the main hazard, so carry a light shell, gloves and a hat. Drink electrolytes rather than just water: the air is very dry and you lose fluid fast at altitude.
What to train for
This is a hiking and climbing race as much as a run, so train power-hiking at 15 to 25% grades and practise switching between hiking and running every few minutes.
Build to weekly long climbs of 3,000 to 5,000 feet, and include stair or step-up work for the Golden Stairs.
If you live at low elevation, arrive a few days early or plan to come the day before, and pace the final 3 miles by breathing, not by watch. Use the published cutoffs as checkpoints in training: Barr Camp by 3:00 and the A-Frame by 4:30 is the target.
Sample week
A sample Pikes Peak Ascent training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 8 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Pikes Peak Ascent
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on September 18, 2027, your taper starts around September 6, 2027.
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Build me a training plan for the Pikes Peak Ascent (21K) on September 18, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Pikes Peak Ascent training questions
How long should I train for the Pikes Peak Ascent?
Most runners give a 21k twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Pikes Peak Ascent course hilly?
Hilly. The Ascent starts at 7:00 AM outside Manitou Springs City Hall at 6,300 feet and finishes on the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, 13.3 miles and about 7,800 vertical feet later (an 11% average grade).
What is the weather usually like at the Pikes Peak Ascent?
Manitou Springs is usually mild at the start, but temperatures can differ by up to 50 °F between the start and the summit, where it is typically 35 to 55 °F by 10 AM. Storm cells can drop summit temperatures into the 30s, and lightning above tree line is the main hazard, so carry a light shell, gloves and a hat. Drink electrolytes rather than just water: the air is very dry and you lose fluid fast at altitude.
When should I start tapering for the Pikes Peak Ascent?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on September 18, 2027, your taper starts around September 6, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Pikes Peak Ascent training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.