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BARR TRAIL MOUNTAIN RACE
Many experienced mountain runners consider the Barr Trail Mountain Race the best race they have ever done.
Why do they say that?
Great course
- It's all single track trail, except for the immediate start/finish.
- It goes up for 3,650' and 6 miles, then comes back down: 600' per mile, 13% average gradient.
- It's the bottom half of a great mountain: Pikes Peak.
- It's tough, but every step is runnable.
Great organization
- Registration, course markings, and results are all impeccable.
- There are 9 aid stations in the 12 miles.
- Total transparency: even the Financial Statements are on the website for all to see.
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Running the W's on the way to 2nd place in 2004 |
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Great competition
- Top runners are encouraged to enter, and are provided homestays if needed.
- Entry slots are saved for runners capable of placing in the top 5.
- Awards are excellent.
Great community spirit
As the race website says:
"The BTMR is not one of those "portion of proceeds" gimmick races! Instead ALL of the race entry fees (yes, 100%) are donated to area non-profit/volunteer organizations and/or community projects! This is possible thanks to our great sponsors ! "
Complete information is given on the outstanding race website:
http://www.runpikespeak.com/
This Feature Story cannot provide more information than the event's own terrific site, but we can shamelessly bring attention to a great event, and share some fun personal stories from participants.
MATT CARPENTER
Matt co-founded the race in 2000 with Nancy Hobbs.
I'm not going to lie; I'm real proud of what we created. We sat down and thought of the best aspects of the all the best races we'd ever done. We borrowed those great ideas. Now we have them all in one race.
Registration is now online only, which works really well. We don't use Active.com because they charge too much.
100% of the entry fees go to charitable organizations. Our primary focus for that is what will help the mountain itself. The road goes up Pikes Peak, the train goes up; we wanted to give something back to the mountain.
We can't use a penny of entry fees to put on the event itself. The first year we didn't even know if we could give t shirts, so there's only one way it works: SPONSORS. Sponsors are the only way it can happen like this.
On top of donating 100% of what the runners pay, we're giving away technical t-shirts from GoLite, prize money, and paying primes. We'll give $6,000 total to high school running teams each year thru the Aid Station Challenge . (http://www.runpikespeak.com/challenge.htm) They try to win money just like the runners; they go all out. Best station wins, so they do some crazy things. It's kind of surreal to be in the middle of the woods and suddenly look up and see high school students squirting water at you dressed like cows.
One year we gave a high school team $1,000 and they said it was twice their annual budget! They hadn't been able to replace their uniforms since the Nixon administration.
That's what we call looking at the future of the sport. Prize money looks at the present of the sport.
I'm fit this year, and I'll be running. I've spent way more hours on an inclined treadmill than I care to think about. Simon G is coming too, as well as Bill Raitter and Bernie. Sometimes fast road runners come, and they either do well, or they go home and tell their friends it was a "training run".
Every time you hear a record won't be broken, you have to laugh. You could retire on top, but what's the fun in that. I want to know where my limits are.
The women's field is more open ended. We actively recruit, we write letters to people inviting them to come. In some ways giving away 100% of the entry fees hamstrings us in bringing in top people, but that's our choice.
This is the first year we filled in 2 weeks. Then had a bunch of late entries from good runners - it's a good thing we save spots for Bio, otherwise the field wouldn't be nearly as good.
I like to see all runners at all levels having a good time. We keep the entry fees low and people know where the fees are going. We try to cater to everyone.
PAUL LOW
 Paul is a seven-time member of the US National Team and three-time USATF Mountain Runner of the Year. He's lived in England and enjoys racing in Europe. He and his wife Kelli met at the BTMR!
In terms of the course, you can't ask for anything more. Aside from the problems inherent in racing out-and-back courses, it's great. It brings out unique talent. It's one thing to be able to run fast downhill, it's another thing to be able to run fast downhill for 6 straight miles. You look at the descent times, and they're not that fast, maybe 6 minute miles. But you need so much strength to keep it up ... once you hit the "W's", you're going to really be feeling it. This course separates the men from the boys.
The organization is pretty much flawless. Pre race ... good aid stations ... it lets you concentrate on your race. The hallmark of good race organization is that you don't notice it.
It's good for everyone from the top down. They pay cash with great swag, but they care about every single runner who finishes. A lot of it is Matt: he puts a LOT of energy into that race. And he won't admit that. He shuns away from taking much credit. And he's really serious about the sponsors.
After I did my second Barr Trail, I went into John O'Neill's store and bumped into Matt. It was quite a coincidence; I'd never been into that store, and there was Matt doing a run, which consisted of running over to every single sponsor, and thanking them in person.
They let good runners in to the race. The field is not as deep as Mt Washington, but it's just as hard to win.
I won it in 2002 and 2003. That first year Matt was taking it easy due to an injury. The second time Matt was first to top, but I caught him halfway down, and beat him on the steep finish. He and I are the only guys who've ever won it.
Some people suggest Simon is the only person who might beat Matt now. They also note Simon has a reputation as a poor downhiller. But check out last year: Simons downhill split was a little faster ( note - Peter Vail had the fastest) . This is a sure sign of the apocalypse. Hope your affairs are in order.
In 2002, besides the cash, the winners were awarded a trip to a Skyrunning Race of their choosing. Kelli and I both won. We both had grown up in Michigan, and did some of the same races in Michigan, but we didn't know each other. Besides Barr Trail, that year Sierra-Zinal was also part of the World Series (link: http://www.fsa-sky.org/) so I suggested we go there.
We arrived in Europe at the same time, so the RD thought we were a couple. So they put us up in the same room. Amazingly enough, we didn't hook up there. But we got to know each other. We are together basically because of the Barr Trail Mountain Race.
KELLI LUSK
 I was living in Manitou Springs. I ran the very first Barr Trail in 2000, and ran it every year until I moved out here to be with Paul. Living in Manitou It was the thing to do. In 2002 it was part of the Skyrunning Series. It was the only North American stop. So we got off the plane in Geneva, they put us up in the same flat because they thought we were married, which was fine. But I was sick the whole week ... riding in the bus, throwing up in my Power Bar hat when nobody was looking. We stayed in touch though.
Barr Trail has always been my favorite mountain race. Matt does a great job. Good test of both climbing and descending. In 2003 I wanted to get close to the downhill course record; I think Kari had it. I was coming down, feeling great, then nicked my toe, and went down hard. Got down to the bottom; my arm was cut up. Simon and Paul took me to the hospital; we missed the awards.
Turns out I had run the last 2 miles with my toe broken. I thought, "I'm not going this far and not winning!"
BERNIE BOETTCHER
 First thing that always comes to mind is the downhill. I have the downhill record there - it's one of my most prized records! It's been a Selection race, so the best have given it a shot - Matt Carpenter, Paul Low, Simon, Jeremy - but I've managed to have the fastest downhill.
It's a really neat course. Combination of everything - good competition on that day, or great records from previous years, a prestigious location, and it's put on by one of the best mountain runners the US has ever had. It's fun. It's exciting. All the elements of danger coming down, and suffering going up.
They have the best prizes - strange things like railroad spikes, mining axes, things like that. Matt always puts on a great race. He does all the details - keeps track of all the splits from start to finish, prize money as best he can. It's just a fantastic trail race.
One year he didn't comp me an entry, because I was doing another race the day before. If you're going to show up and compete in his race, he wants you at your best. I can understand that.
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