Rémi Bonet at Pikes Peak this Saturday.
Rémi Bonnet is such a competitive animal that he accelerates when the group of athletes he is jogging with approaches the photographer’s position for the promotional photo. “You have to keep track of things,” they scold him. So when the person responsible for the safety of the Pikes Peak route announces a blanket of snow on the eve of the climb, it gives the Swiss the spark he was missing: “You can forget about the record.” Maybe he didn’t know he was doing it dealing with a mountain skiing world champion who was obsessed with writing his name into the history of the World Trail’s Great Horses category. The icing on the cake for their victory in the holy grail of Colorado, which looks snowy at 14,000 feet above sea level, in a picture-perfect scene summed up by its loud volunteers: “It’s Christmas in the mountains.” The impossible climb, the motto the fifth race on the Golden Trail Series calendar was not for him.
If anyone could erase Matt Carpenter from history, whose 1993 record (2:01:06:06 hours) raised doubts due to the enormous distance to the other competitors, then he was the best climber in the world. This year the formula was repeated, replicating a route with 2,400 meters of positive gradient for a half marathon with an average gradient of 11%, without ups and downs or technical complexities. Perfect for a metronome like him.
It snows every month of the year in Colorado and tradition has it that a snowstorm occurs in September. The test would not have taken place on Friday because of snowflakes and visibility so poor that volunteers needed the GPS to mark a route that must not be lost. Saturday began with clear skies, so the sun comforted the 1,700 runners who set off from Manitou Spring in waves of a hundred per minute, with a mountain ahead that was more inviting to climb than to run.
More information
Bonet imposed his experience on the Kenyan pair who outperformed him in Sierre-Zinal. Patrick Kipngeno, world champion in vertical climbing, came second after almost four minutes and Philemon Kiriago, winner in Switzerland, came thirteenth after fifteen minutes. The course was so unfamiliar to the Africans that when they arrived in the United States they had no idea that a race without downhill runs awaited them. The grove dominates two-thirds of the way, with endless compartments offering the traditional “good job.” [buen trabajo]“. The snow can be felt down to the highest roots, but the real challenge comes when the green evaporates.
The American Eli Hemming, third, gave the advice the day before to avoid the white coat. “Accept that you will slip and don’t get frustrated. If you fight it, you lose energy.” The Christmas scene began about five kilometers from the finish line; First with a clear path thanks to the footprints and further up with an icy road that required extreme caution in the dark sections. Far from looking for a straight line, it forces you to climb the curves that Carpenter, according to his disbelievers, shortened 30 years ago. Some horizontal lines that increase the width of the mountain over 4,000 meters.
As a dessert for the menu of snow and frozen stones: the altitude, the complicating factor of the last four kilometers, which on average does not fall below 13.5%. There is nothing more inherent in every body than the response to those great heights, those runners happily passing others, running away in search of a breather before hearing the speaker above and feeling the comfort after suffering: food , parking and so on huge visitor center. The human body lowers its pulse to defend itself: the same distance that is run a thousand meters below with a sufficient 160 pulses now forces you to torment yourself with just over 130 pulses. And the need for hydration increases, this invisible enemy that leaves no trace of sweat in cold temperatures.
More information
Altitude was the only doubt for Sophia Laukli, the climber who has dominated the Goldens this year with victories at the Mont Blanc Marathon or Sierre-Zinal. Such was this Olympic skier’s success that Pikes Peak was the first event she competed in twice. Last year, the American was third and took advantage of the absence of the first two to a clear victory (2 hours, 35 minutes, 54 minutes) against the Swiss Judith Wyder, a master of downhills outside her comfort zone, who reached almost four minutes. The American Anna Gibson caused a surprise with her third place.
The two great Spanish talents followed closely behind. Malen Osa repeated her fourth place in the Dolomites – her first golden race – with a time of 2 hours 47 minutes and 23 minutes, just 50 seconds less than Sara Alonso, fifth, a position she achieved the day before after a seven-month injury without to hesitate signed. Time will tell if the best version of Alonso remains at the top or if Osa is able to replace him as the Spanish reference. With permission from Julia Font, who finished sixth, 1:43 minutes behind Osa. The prominent role of girls – far ahead of countries such as France, Italy or the Nordic countries – exceeded that of boys. Dani Osanz (2 hours 12 minutes 34 minutes), seventh ahead of Álex García, fifteenth, made it to the finish in a classification with eleven Americans in the top 20.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Twitteror sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.