Post by Peter Bakwin on May 18, 2015 17:23:38 GMT -5
There are many records on this local landmark.
The Manitou Incline, near Manitou Springs, Colorado, was constructed as a funicular in 1907. It operated until 1990, when a rock slide washed out the rail bed. Since then it has been used for hiking, and has become a very popular test piece for endurance athletes. The Incline starts at 6600 feet elevation and gains 2000 feet in roughly a mile. The old railway ties form many steps along the route. In recent years work has been done to improve the tread and steps, and to make the Incline safer for hikers. competitor.com has a nice article on the Incline and some of the FKTs.
Official Incline times are simply from the first railroad tie to the last one.
Ascent FKT: Pro tri-athlete Mark Fretta appears to have the FKT for an ascent of the Incline, at 16m42s, set in 2006. There has been some controversy around this due to Fretta's sanction in 2012 by the US Anti Doping Agency, and whether his time was actually to the top of th incline. Olympic speed skaters Ryan Bradford and Apolo Ohno also apparently ran the ascent in 17m41s and 17m52s, respectively, on the same day as Fretta, but again there is uncertainty about where exactly these athletes stopped their watches. Skyrunning legend Matt Carpenter has run the ascent 18m31s in 1998, which many viewed as the "official" ascent FKT. This time was finally bested by U.S. Mountain Running Team member Joe Gray in 17m45s on September 25, 2015. Previously, Gray had run as fast as 18m43s.
Former U.S. Mountain Running Champion Allie McLaughlin has the women's FKT of 20m07s, set July 29, 2010, as reported here.
The "Inclinathon" consists of 13 round-trip laps of the Incline, adding up to just about a marathon with an incredible 26,000 feet of vertical gain. It was done in 13h15m by Ed Baxter, then 12h55m by his brother Fred Baxter, and then in 11h47m by Brandon Stapanowich, all in 2012. Stapanowich's record was beaten on May 16, 2015, by Wade Gardner, with 10h34m.
Brandon Stapanowich has the record of the most laps of the Incline in 24 hours - 22 laps.
In 2015, Roger Austin completed 1719 ascents - the most Inclines in one year. This equates to a mind-boggling 3,438,000 vertical feet! Previously, Greg Cummings had the most ascents of the Incline in a year, 1400 set in the 330 days prior to the August 2014 closure of the route for repairs.
The Manitou Incline, near Manitou Springs, Colorado, was constructed as a funicular in 1907. It operated until 1990, when a rock slide washed out the rail bed. Since then it has been used for hiking, and has become a very popular test piece for endurance athletes. The Incline starts at 6600 feet elevation and gains 2000 feet in roughly a mile. The old railway ties form many steps along the route. In recent years work has been done to improve the tread and steps, and to make the Incline safer for hikers. competitor.com has a nice article on the Incline and some of the FKTs.
Official Incline times are simply from the first railroad tie to the last one.
Ascent FKT: Pro tri-athlete Mark Fretta appears to have the FKT for an ascent of the Incline, at 16m42s, set in 2006. There has been some controversy around this due to Fretta's sanction in 2012 by the US Anti Doping Agency, and whether his time was actually to the top of th incline. Olympic speed skaters Ryan Bradford and Apolo Ohno also apparently ran the ascent in 17m41s and 17m52s, respectively, on the same day as Fretta, but again there is uncertainty about where exactly these athletes stopped their watches. Skyrunning legend Matt Carpenter has run the ascent 18m31s in 1998, which many viewed as the "official" ascent FKT. This time was finally bested by U.S. Mountain Running Team member Joe Gray in 17m45s on September 25, 2015. Previously, Gray had run as fast as 18m43s.
Former U.S. Mountain Running Champion Allie McLaughlin has the women's FKT of 20m07s, set July 29, 2010, as reported here.
The "Inclinathon" consists of 13 round-trip laps of the Incline, adding up to just about a marathon with an incredible 26,000 feet of vertical gain. It was done in 13h15m by Ed Baxter, then 12h55m by his brother Fred Baxter, and then in 11h47m by Brandon Stapanowich, all in 2012. Stapanowich's record was beaten on May 16, 2015, by Wade Gardner, with 10h34m.
Brandon Stapanowich has the record of the most laps of the Incline in 24 hours - 22 laps.
In 2015, Roger Austin completed 1719 ascents - the most Inclines in one year. This equates to a mind-boggling 3,438,000 vertical feet! Previously, Greg Cummings had the most ascents of the Incline in a year, 1400 set in the 330 days prior to the August 2014 closure of the route for repairs.