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A snowy peak above the red sandstone fins of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
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Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent course map and aid stations

Up Barr Trail from Manitou Springs to the top of a 14,115 ft peak on Saturday, and up and back down again on Sunday.

September 18 to 19, 2027 Manitou Springs, Colorado

Two races share one trail. The Ascent climbs 13.3 miles from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak. The Marathon goes up the same way and turns around at the top, then runs back down to town for 26.2 miles. Either way you climb about 7,800 feet, almost all of it on Barr Trail, a Forest Service trail on the peak's east face. The race has run since 1956, and the organizer calls it the oldest continually held marathon in the United States.

The trail is narrow. The first aid station is 3.1 miles in, and after that they're 1 to 2.7 miles apart. Download the map before race week and you'll know how far it is to the next one, on race day or on a training run up Barr Trail. GPS shows where you are on it with no signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Pikes Peak Marathon + Ascent. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Pikes Peak course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Save it in Goat Maps for a recce or race day. GPS shows where you are even without a signal.

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Pikes Peak courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
Ascent13.3 mi (21 km)7,815 ft (2,382 m)Sat, Sep 18, 7:00 AM6 h 30 min
Marathon26.2 mi (42 km)7,815 ft (2,382 m)Sun, Sep 19, 7:00 AM10 h

Pikes Peak Ascent

Saturday, 13.3 miles uphill from Manitou Springs to the summit

Distance
13.3 mi (21 km)
Climbing
7,815 ft (2,382 m)
Start
Sat, Sep 18, 7:00 AM
Time limit
6 h 30 min

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You run 1.5 miles of road first, west on Manitou Avenue, up Ruxton Avenue past the Cog Railway depot, then a dirt road and a short spur trail onto Barr Trail. The 3 miles from Hydro Street to No Name Creek average 13.4%, and the trail is too narrow to pass much until No Name. From there to Barr Camp is the fastest stretch, at 8.3% with a few short downhills. Barr Camp to the A-Frame at treeline averages 13.1%. Above it the trail turns to loose gravel, and it finishes with the 16 Golden Stairs, the last 32 switchbacks, with step-ups of 10 to 15 inches.

The cutoffs are 1:40 at No Name Creek, 3:00 at Barr Camp, 4:30 at the A-Frame and 6:30 at the finish. Bob's Road has self-serve water only. Remi Bonnet holds the record at 2:00:20 (2023), and Kim Dobson the women's at 2:24:58 (2012).

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0Manitou Springs City Hall (start)
3.1Top of the W's
4.3No Name Creek 1:40:00 elapsed
5.3Bob's Road (self-serve water)
7.6Barr Camp 3:00:00 elapsed
10.2A-Frame 4:30:00 elapsed
11.9Cirque
13.3Pikes Peak summit (Ascent finish, Marathon turnaround) 6:30:00 elapsed
Pink granite outcrops and pines on Pikes Peak, above forested ridges and the plains
Connor Betts / Unsplash

Pikes Peak Marathon

Sunday, up the Ascent course to the summit and back down to town

Distance
26.2 mi (42 km)
Climbing
7,815 ft (2,382 m)
Start
Sun, Sep 19, 7:00 AM
Time limit
10 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

The way up is the Ascent course, with a 6:15 cutoff at the summit turnaround instead of 6:30. Then you come back down Barr Trail through the same aid stations. One more, Ruxton, gives fluids at mile 24.9, and the finish is at the roundabout where Ruxton meets Manitou Avenue, beside Soda Springs Park. The limit is 10 hours.

The organizer puts the average descent at about 63% of a runner's ascent time, and there are a few short climbs on the way down. Runners coming down have the right of way, and anyone still climbing has to step aside. Matt Carpenter's 3:16:39 from 1993 still stands, and Maude Mathys holds the women's record at 4:02:41 (2019).

Looking out from a rocky high point in Colorado over hazy ridges toward the plains
Bri / Unsplash

Registration and fees

Registration for 2027 opens on RunSignUp at 5:00 AM MST on March 1. The Ascent is $175 until April 1, then $195, then $225 from July 1. The Marathon is $200, $225 and $250 on the same dates. Each race closes when it sells out, and there may be a waitlist. The Forest Service sets the entry limits.

You don't need a qualifier. You can enter a past result (a race, or a self-timed run of 10 miles or more) to get placed in a start wave: the top 90 men and 90 women go in the first one. Runners who deferred from 2026 get an invitation to register from January 15 and are guaranteed a place if they sign up by February 28. Fees aren't refundable, and the deferral deadline for 2027 is July 31.

The Ascent or Marathon is the last leg of the Garden to Peak Challenge, after the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile on June 13 and the Barr Trail Mountain Race on July 18. Running both Pikes Peak races in one weekend is called the Double.

Getting there and the altitude

A street of shops in Manitou Springs, with wooded foothills rising behind
Lexi Laginess / Unsplash

Manitou Springs is about 6 miles west of Colorado Springs, 16 miles from Colorado Springs Airport and 90 miles from Denver International. Both races start on Manitou Avenue across from City Hall. In 2026 bib pickup and the expo were in Memorial Park, and the runner's packet with maps and parking comes out before race week.

The start is at 6,300 feet. The organizer says it takes 10 to 14 days to begin adapting to altitude, but more than half the field lives outside the Mountain States and arrives a day or two before, and many do fine.

After the Ascent, shuttles take you off the summit to Glen Cove, where you change to bigger buses back to Memorial Park. Leave a dry jacket, shirt and gloves in the sweat check for when you finish.

Rules, spectators and crews

Poles are banned, and so are headphones and earbuds, bone conduction ones too. Every runner carries a hooded, windproof, water-resistant jacket (no ponchos) and a refillable bottle of at least 12 ounces. Start in your own wave or a later one. Marathon runners can change gear at the summit, but the race won't carry it up for you.

The race lists no crew points on the course. Only one poor fire road comes near Barr Trail, and volunteers pump and pipe the water to the aid stations themselves. Spectators can see the start at 600 Manitou Avenue and the Marathon finish, and follow the rest on live tracking. The race releases a limited number of ticketed parking spaces at the summit in late summer for watching the Ascent finish, and it doesn't drive spectators between Manitou Springs and the summit.

Weather and lightning

It can be 50°F colder on the upper mountain than in Manitou Springs. The organizer says the start is usually 60 to 70°F at 7 AM and the summit 35 to 55°F by 10 AM, before wind chill, and the air is dry, usually under 15% humidity. Afternoons in town can reach the 90s, while storm cells above treeline drop it into the 30s.

Lightning is the biggest risk above treeline, and the race has turned runners back at treeline before. Weather has shortened the races too: the 2018 Ascent finished at Barr Camp, and in 2024 snow and ice turned the Marathon around at Barr Camp.

Pikes Peak aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Manitou Springs City Hall (start)

    6,300 ft (1,920 m)

    38.85757, -104.91242

  • Ruxton Roundabout (Marathon finish)

    6,345 ft (1,934 m)

    38.85916, -104.91991

  • Ruxton (Marathon only, on the way down)

    6,900 ft (2,103 m)

    38.85151, -104.93895

  • Top of the W's

    7,800 ft (2,377 m)

    38.85772, -104.94237

  • No Name Creek

    8,800 ft (2,682 m)

    38.85671, -104.95772

  • Bob's Road (self-serve water)

    9,350 ft (2,850 m)

    38.85425, -104.97454

  • Barr Camp

    10,200 ft (3,109 m)

    38.84749, -105.00689

  • A-Frame

    11,950 ft (3,642 m)

    38.84216, -105.02624

  • Cirque

    13,300 ft (4,054 m)

    38.83990, -105.03721

  • Pikes Peak summit (Ascent finish, Marathon turnaround)

    14,115 ft (4,302 m)

    38.84045, -105.04197

Pikes Peak FAQ

When is the Pikes Peak Marathon 2027?

The Ascent is on Saturday, September 18, 2027, and the Marathon on Sunday, September 19. Both start at 7:00 AM in waves, across from City Hall in Manitou Springs.

What are the cutoffs for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon?

Elapsed time: 1:40 at No Name Creek (mile 4.3), 3:00 at Barr Camp (7.6) and 4:30 at the A-Frame (10.2). The Ascent closes at 6:30 at the summit. Marathon runners must turn at the summit by 6:15 and finish within 10 hours.

Can you use trekking poles at Pikes Peak?

No. Poles and walking sticks are banned in both races. The only exception is for visually impaired runners, who may use a pole to judge step-ups and step-downs.

Do you need a qualifier for the Pikes Peak Marathon?

No. Anyone 16 or older on race day can enter until the race sells out. Past results only decide your start wave.

Can you run both the Ascent and the Marathon?

Yes. Running both is called the Double. For the Garden to Peak Challenge, the faster of your two ascent times counts.

How do Ascent runners get back down from the summit?

By shuttle. Summit buses take you to Glen Cove, and bigger ones bring you back to Memorial Park in Manitou Springs. Pack dry clothes in your sweat check bag for the top.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.