Longs Peak (CO) « Thread Started on Nov 5, 2009, 9:17pm »
NEW! Andy Anderson beat his own overall round trip FKT on Longs on Aug. 8, 2012, bringing it down to 1h56m48s! Anderson's previous FKT was 2h02m54s, set on Aug. 23, 2011. The previous FKT was set by Chris Reveley way back in 1979, 2h04m27s! Anton Krupicka seems to have the FKT sticking strictly to the main route (Keyhole), about 3h15m (car-to-car) on June 8, 2012.
I could say something deep and philosophical about how running rejuvenates my soul, provides me solace in times of need, or how it grants me spiritual enlightenment and allows me to see beauty in the world, but really I run because it is just plain fun. - Andy Anderson
Many times and tidbits on Longs are listed on Bill Wright's site.
Longs Peak (14,255'), in Rocky Mountain National Park, dominates the skyline in the northern Front Range area of Colorado. It has been a test piece for local athletes for decades, and there are too many amazing records to mention. But, perhaps THE most amazing is the overall, car-to-car speed record of 1h56m48s, set by RMNP climbing ranger Andy Anderson on Aug. 8, 2012, shattering his own record of 2h02m54s set about a year earlier (Aug. 23, 2011). Anderson's ascent & descent splits were 1h14m08s and 42m40s, respectively, giving him the ascent record as well, though probably not the descent record. The previous ascent record was set by Mike Sullivan in 1982, 1h18m31s, also via the Cables Route. An interview with Anderson after his 2011 record is here. Prior to Anderson, the car-to-car FKT on Longs was held for 32 years by the legendary Chris Reveley at 2h04m27s, set in 1979. Like Anderson, Reveley used a very direct version of the Cables Route with "every trick in the book". Reveley's splits were 1h23m ascent, and a 42m descent (which remains the FKT for the descent of Longs). Reveley beat the previous round-trip record of 2h09m set by Roger Briggs. Reveley recounted his run in an email to me in 2005, which I would like to quote here because his words are such a beautiful expression of his experience:
The RT time on my digital watch was 2:04:27 which agreed with the big fat round wall clock (roughly, of course) in the ranger station. For his (previous) record-setting run, Roger Briggs stayed on the regular trail, I think. Check with Roger on that. So, my round-trip was a different course below the Boulder Field. At any rate, Roger's RT was very fast, indeed, if this is true. To run up and down Longs fast you have to love the place and be willing to spend the time to learn the name of every rock and foot placement along your chosen course. I did. Awash in a history of inspired performances, Longs Peak is a place that moves people to go a little beyond themselves, to punch through our self-defined envelopes. For me, it is a kind of holy place. To give credit where credit is due, the devoted people of the National Park Service have worked to keep the place much as it was 30 years ago. Today's warriors can have the biggest adventures of their lives on the same breathtaking stage. I love that. - Chris Revely, August 2005
These days the ethic of staying on the established trails has become much stronger. So, while we can admire (and amaze at) the incredible achievements of the past, we might expect new records to be established by runners staying on the standard routes. In the case of Longs Peak, this mainly means the Keyhole Route. Things can become a little fuzzy because there are many short-cuts to the trail below the Boulderfield, but the "cleanest" runs will be done sticking strictly to the main trail, which is well-established and obvious. The fastest ascent of Longs via the Keyhole (and sticking to the trail) that I have heard of so far is 1h41m58s by Anton Krupicka on June 8, 2012, beating Kraig Koski's 1h49m, set in August 2000. Ryan Burch has done the round trip (sticking to the main trail) in 3h26m10s (ascent time of 1h59m) on Aug. 10, 2011. His trip report, with detailed splits is here. Fast times have also been reported by Bill Wright (3h35m in Aug. 2000), and by Jeff Valliere (total time around 3h23m, 1h52m to the top, Aug. 27, 2010), but these were done using some of the short-cuts below the Boulderfield. Krupicka seems to have beat all of these times on his June 8, 2012, run, with a round-trip time of around 3h15m, staying on the trail. Krupicka ran up in 1h41m58s, "spent 30min on the summit", then ran down in a very fast 1h2m54s. He confirmed the rest time on the summit was "definitely no more than 30min" in an email to me. He also reported the following splits: Ascent: Goblin Forest, 14m45s Battle Mt, 31m00s Chasm Jct, 41m25s Granite Pass, 54m05s Boulder Field Shelter, 1h10m05s Keyhole, 1h18m50s Bottom of Trough, 1h25m30s Start of Narrows, 1h35m35s Summit, 1h41m58s Descent splits were (after stopping watch at summit): Bottom of Trough, ~1h57m Keyhole, 2h02m00s Granite Pass, 2h17m20s Chasm Jct, 2h24m30s Battle Mt, 2h29m50s Goblin Forest, 2h38m25s 0.5mi to go sign, 2h42m25s Ranger Stn, 2h44m52s
Krupicka also set a very fast (FKT) time for one of Longs Peak's most classic routes - Keiners. After an easy climb the previous day to learn the route (and some of the short-cuts for the trail sections) with Buzz Burrell and Peter Bakwin, he blitzed this moderately technical (up to 5.4 climbing, moderate snow) route in 2h28:31m car-to-car on 6/17/2012. The descent (via the North Face, as is standard) was aided by a fixed rope that had been left by another party.
Longs Peak RT from Boulder! Numerous records exist for the round trip from Boulder to the summit of Longs and back, normally using a bicycle to get to the trail head. This article discusses some of these trips. The standard starting/ending point is Old Chicago, at 11th and Pearl, though the Bus Stop Bar on North Broadway is sometimes used. Neal Beidleman and Kevin Cooney set the FKT for the Longs Peak Duathlon on 9/28/1988. They biked to the TH, ascended/descended via the Cables Route, and returned to Boulder in 7h28m. Beidleman and Cooney also established a tough mark for the Longs Peak Triathlon, in which the ascent involves a technical climb of the East Face via the Casual Route, which they completed in 10h30m on 8/10/1990 (the start/end point was at the Bus Stop). Briggs did the triathlon ascent only in 5h45m (solo) on 8/8/1991.
For now I will claim the FKT for the Longs Peak Duathlon sticking strictly to the Keyhole Route, 10h31m on 6/18/2006. Likely people have done this faster, so this is a placeholder until someone reports a faster time. The start/end point was my home in North Boulder, which adds about 5 miles of biking compared to starting at the Bus Stop, but is maybe 2 miles shorter than starting at Old Chicago. The splits were (not including about an hour of transitions and lounging on the summit): 3h17m bike up 2h52m ascent 1h38m descent 1h45m bike back
Paul Pomeroy was the first to run from Boulder to the summit of Longs Peak and back. He started at Old Chicago in downtown Boulder and used a carefully scouted, mostly trail route. He completed the trip in 28h44m on July 3-4, 2003. His complete report, which was posted on the BoulderTrailRunners Yahoo! e-group, is below. Paul Hooge repeated the Boulder-to-summit-and-back on September 12-13, 2011. Hooge used a much more direct and efficient road route (through Jamestown), which amounted to about 37 miles of road running each way to and from the Longs Peak Trailhead. He reached the summit a little under 12 hours and completed the round trip (starting and finishing at the Boulder County Courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall) in 23h18m. Hooge was supported by his wife during the run.
Here's Pomeroy's report:
I thought some of you would be interested in how things went over the weekend on my run. I would first like to express my gratitude and admiration for all who helped me out - both by running and crewing - and for the support of the BTR in general. I love you guys!
The Facts: - Boulder to Long's Peak Summit and back - Almost all trail (3-4 miles asphault each way) - About 13,300' elevation gain - About 115 miles - Took 28 hrs. 44 min. to complete
Why I did it: - You can see the summit from my kitchen window. - There is a history of people attaining the summit from Boulder using bicycles and running but apparently no one had run the RT (although Legend Buzz Burrell came close, cycling only on the return). - I love the "backyard ultrarun" and this particular combination of trails appealed to me.
The Blow by Blow:
Having envisioned the course and set the date I set out the weekend prior to ascertain conditions on the peak. It has been a snowy year in Rocky Mountain National Park and I was not surprised to find even the Keyhole Route, the standard and easiest method of ascending the mountain, buried in snow. Happily I arrived at the snow field in the early afternoon, found the going easy and was able to climb in my running shoes and slide comfortably back down.
My confidence thus bolstered I scheduled a 9:00 pm start in order to arrive at the snow field at roughly the same time in the early afternoon. This would also allow me to run the lower and hotter portions of the course at night when conditions would be cooler. The disadvantage of this schedule was that I would have to run all night the first night and then finish quite late the second night. "There will be plenty of time to sleep after the run." I told myself, (and so there was, while I drove home at 2:30 in the morning,only narrowly averting disaster several times). So I packed my waist pack, dropped food and water off where I could, and steeled my resolve for the venture. Incredibly, several friends, apparently suffering from a lack of common sense, offered to run with me. Peter Bakwin, making it sound trivial, signed up for 100 kilometers - from Boulder to the summit and back to the parking lot at the base of the mountain. Keith Pike (whose gaudy climbing resume includes numerous risky - and risque - free solos in the American West) was cajoled into the summit push from the parking lot. Stephanie Ehret, fresh off a fantastic 40 mile pacing effort at Western States, said she would be there for the critical leg from the Long's Peak parking lot to Hall Ranch. David Silberman was interested in the last leg - Heil Ranch to Boulder- but only because he wanted to check the late night party scene on 4th St. on the way in. So, after a pint of Sierra Nevada and a great sendoff from the boozy ranks of the Boulder Trail Runners, Peter and I hit the road. Temperatures in the 90's during the day had led to comfortable running conditions at night. Despite both of us knowing the trail well we took a few wrong turns, primarily due to grasses growing over the trail, yet we proceeded with no mishap along the foothills heading north. Dawn found us climbing steadily up towards the Peak to Peak highway. We took pleasure in our surroundings and each other's company, finally arriving at the renezvous point with Keith only slightly worse for wear. Here we ate and drank seemingly nonstop for half an hour or so. Bloated from this gluttony I was pleasantly surprised to be able to walk briskly along the trail occasionally breaking out in a modest trot. We negotiated the talus field on rubbery legs, arriving at the snow field to find it considerably icier than we had hoped. Warily assessing the possibility of surviving a high speed slide into the rocks below we found bits of stick and stone to use as impromptu ice axes and ascended the snow. After the summit slabs we relaxed and rested for the descent. It seemed impossible to me that I should only be halfway but that was the case. The three of us drifted back down the snow field, now softer and thus safer, and rallied in the parking lot along with Steph. There, after another sit down tuck in, I said goodbye to Keith and to Peter ( who didn't look nearly as tired as I felt) and set off with Steph into the heat of the day. Try as I might to keep the heat at bay I found myself periodically suffering from dehydration and nausea. I was able to maintain momentum except perhaps for an hour or two near the end of the day when walking seemed overwhelmingly preferable to running. Upon arriving at Hall Ranch and food and drink I felt much better. Steph seemed to know when to run and when to walk, and it seemed to me I just followed her back to Boulder. Chatting relieved the tedium and we were lucky enough to see a few fireworks from the high points of Heil Ranch. How pleasant and strange to find oneself on Fourth Street,on a summer evening, in the wee hours, amidst the parties winding down and the bars letting out, concluding such a nice little adventure. I feel very grateful indeed to have the good fortune to do this run in such good company and under such excellent circumstances. May the forces that govern our destinies be praised! -- Paul Pomeroy
Longs Peak great East Face
« Last Edit: Aug 19, 2012, 8:33pm by Peter Bakwin »
Re: Longs Peak (CO) « Reply #2 on Aug 28, 2011, 1:20pm »
On 8/23/11, Andy Anderson, one of the climbing rangers at RMNP and ex-collegiate xcountry runner set a new FKT for direct line up Longs. He went TH to summit and back via the Cable Route 2:02:54. More details soon (he's my brother and long time pacer so I'm pestering him to put the accomplishment out there)
Re: Longs Peak (CO) « Reply #3 on Aug 28, 2011, 9:05pm »
Wow! That's huge! I personally have regarded Reveley's record as one of the most impressive on this site - that it lasted 32 years is testament to that. I hope you or Andy will provide more details, particularly ascent & descent times, and also if there are any materials for purposes of verification. Thanks!
I'm planning to attempt a run alone from Boulder (Pearl Street Courthouse) to the top of Longs Peak and Back starting Monday evening (7:00), September 12th, barring any weather or other complications. I will be using legal public roads and trails. The route will be Pearl Street, Old Stage, Jamestown, Peak to Peak, Hwy 7, Longs Peak Trailhead to summit and return the same. This is not intended so much to compete with the illustrious Paul Pomeroy's more pure trail run in 2003, but to establish a fastest time from Boulder to Longs Peak Summit and back on foot. I have an arbitrary goal of 24 hours. I plan on making a couple drops the day before. I will be using a SPOT tracker. If all is working ok I can be tracked at this link:
Paul completed the run in 23h18m. He was supported by his wife. His time to the summit was a little under 12 hours. His route to/from the trailhead via Jamestown is about 37 miles each way. I hope he'll post a report!
Here are a few more details on Andy's run from one of the more insightful and well written running blogs out there. Check out some of the other posts if you're looking for some good reads. Jeff has a knack for capturing the essence of the runner.
After being waitlisted for Hardrock along with exactly one million runners, I thought it might be fun to make it a year of independent runs. I made up several little challenges in the form of 50 milers on trails and roads around my home at Walker Ranch outside Boulder. Up and down Flagstaff 5 times, Myers Gulch 10 times, 50 miles across my basement (treadmill) where I had my wife pass me off bottles while I yelled out things like, "Retrieve the blister kit!" to simulate racing.
Many years ago when I first climbed the Keyhole route on Long’s Peak I was convinced I had just conquered Mt. Everest. Now it seemed the next logical step was to do the alternative, long approach, from Boulder. I did some Internet searches to see if this had been done. Google introduced me to the "Fastest Known Times", a forum administered by Ultrarunning Legend Peter Bakwin that as best I can understand was developed to nurture pathetic people like me with their illness. Indeed, I discovered that Paul Pomeroy ran a 115 mile mostly trail version of this route in 28 hours 44 minutes. After reading his report I understood this was just a fun run for a runner of Paul Pomeroy's stature that he did on a lark in 2003. Something like, “Should I go to a movie or run to Long’s Peak and back?” I knew right then it was my time to pounce and go for the FKT.
I have heard of too many ultrarunners eventually being unable to distinguish between their spouse and a roving aid station and the subsequent DNF of their marriage. I have not quite reached the point where I look into my wife’s eyes and see only GU's, powdered drinks and electrolyte tablets. When I suggested I would be making drops to self-support myself along the way, Robin my wife, insisted she be there. I was touched initially until she informed me, sure she was willing to toss me the occasional bottle, but more importantly she had tickets, popcorn and a front row seat to watch me suffer. She was not about to miss this full day matinee, help or not.
With my extensive and supportive crew in place and all the confidence that I could at least walk to the “Leaving Boulder” sign, I announced my intention on the FKT website. I would take the most direct public roads and trails to the top. I decided on the Pearl Street Courthouse, Old Stage, Jamestown, Peak to Peak, Highway 7 to Long’s Trailhead then the Keyhole Route. This came to a little over 90 miles and 13,000 feet of ascending round-trip. For planning purposes, I consulted my algorithm. The run calculated out to around 11 blisters, 3 breakdowns of “I can’t go on”, and 1.37 vomits.
At 8:00 p.m. on Monday, September 12, 2011, I left downtown to the roar of cheers from my own mouth and the irritation of passerby’s. As the website suggested, I had been training for this since I took the first steps in my mothers womb and I should document it as verifiable as possible. I had announced it on the website, had witnesses, carried cards to pass out for independent verification and wore a SPOT tracker. I also saved all my GU wrappers, lost toenails, and bronzed my running shoes immediately afterwards.
I love the night. I work nights. Cool and calm, just like me, I thought. With my torch in hand I glided through the evening out of Boulder. As usual, at about mile 3 I hit the wall and stayed squarely pinned against it for the next 87 miles. Curiously, I discovered dogs don’t like people running by at night. They all sounded like some mountain hillbilly’s Pit Bull /Wolf breeding experiment with dinner held. As I scooted along I wished I had brought a gun to shoot myself before they tore me to bits. I had the occasional thought about mountain lions as well, but took comfort knowing that no matter how far it dragged my disemboweled carcass, I would eventually be found with my SPOT tracker on.
I gained Peak to Peak Highway. It was surreal as I ran though the night. There were spectacular views all around me with Pink Floyd now drowning out the rare sounds of the night. I was astonished that only TWO cars passed me for the next 15 miles on the highway. Robin crewed me from the window of the car and sometimes drove next to me for extended periods while we talked. I love Colorado. I love being able to run. I love being so ignorant to do this.
For 37 miles I averaged just under 12 minute miles with the difficult to watch, shuffle, wobble, limp, thing I like to refer to as running. I had arrived at the trailhead. Now a simple tag of the summit and I can skip home.
I passed out verification request cards to a few people along the way to the summit. This was a little awkward as we both felt like I was a guy hawking free dinners at a strip club on the streets of Vegas. I made my way up the Peak. Everything was harder than I remembered. I was going so slow I was convinced I was going backwards. Fortunately everyone else was going backwards faster than me and I passed about 20 people. A thick black cloud descended on the peak. It started snowing and the wind began to blow hard. I kept moving taking comfort in the wise decision I had made to leave some of my critical warm clothing at the trailhead. After achieving the keyhole the next couple hours is a blur of freezing, hypoxia and exhaustion. I was the first that day to make it to the top. I took a couple pictures with my phone and made an “X” on the register using the numb stump at the end of my wrist and headed out the only way I could go, down. I had made the summit in just less than 12 hours and was happy to be headed home. Soon after I made it off the top, the clouds turned into sun and the wind all but disappeared. I passed about 40 people on the way down. Word got around as to what I was doing and everyone was very supportive. The rangers even took my picture when I made it to the bottom. As I hit the trailhead again, I changed into shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed my bottle, and headed out.
Did I mention I love the night? This was day, sun and cars. I was quick to realize that the most dangerous part of this trip was not me stumbling along the narrows on the face of Longs, but the 90-year-old lady that barreled past me in her truck at 1 second faster than the speed of light while drinking a beer and text messaging. Eventually, the traffic lightened and the shoulder widened. I got into a rhythm; eat, drink and pity myself. At the turn off to Jamestown I could not take it any more. I sat down, put my feet up and enjoyed 180 seconds of pure bliss before returning to my fate.
Robin was amazingly supportive, often stopping after just a mile. I would yell, “1 salt pill, 1 of the orange bottles, no sick of orange… I’ll try the lime one, and a plain GU. I think maybe a Cup O’Noodles at the next stop.” It would have been impossible without her.
I made it over Old Stage and was surprised by my friend Drew Geer greeting me on his bike with his large camera. He followed me all the way into Boulder snapping pictures. The break from my pity party was appreciated and he got me in. About a mile out Peter Bakwin joined me. It was great talking with Peter and we finished to my wife’s cheers back at the courthouse. The time was 7:18 p.m. The run had taken me 23 hours and 18 minutes, comfortably under the 24 hours I had hoped for. I had consumed just over 6 gallons of water and 10,000 calories.
An ultrathanks to my wife who made this possible, my friends cheering me behind their computers watching my SPOT locations and Peter Bakwin for providing a forum to encourage these personal challenges.
Re: Longs Peak (CO) « Reply #9 on Aug 22, 2012, 2:56pm »
Hey folks, Andy Anderson did it again, this time breaking the ascent record as well. Official stats:1:56:46 for the round trip, 1:14:08 up, 42:38 down.
Re: Longs Peak (CO) « Reply #10 on Dec 19, 2012, 11:27am »
Historical Tidbits
1957 - FKT from parking area to top - 1:54 by Phillip and Leland Tigges 1957 - FKT from top to parking area - :59 by same 1957 - FKT round trip - 2:53 by same
Found in "Longs Peak: Its Story and a Climbing Guide" by Paul W. Nesbit (1963). It does not say by what route, although the book lists other FKT for other routes, so it is assumed by the old keyhole route.
There is also some interesting notes on number of times climbed: Shep Husted (350 times), Enos A. Mills (297 times), Carlyle Lamb (146 times), Alva Jones (120 times).
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