Pike's Peak

A mountain 14,110 ft (4,301 m) high, located in central Colorado, USA. It was discovered by Zebulon Pike in 1806. It's located at the the very East of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, and at the very western edge of Colorado Springs, about 40 miles south of Denver, Colorado. There are many larger mountains in Colorado, but Pike's Peak is notable because of its location so close to the Eastern Plains, where most surrounding mountains are mere foothills. The summit is usually accessed by cog railroad or highway, and while climbing to the actual summit is rare (from the base it takes approximately two days to reach the summit), it has been done.

Miss Katherine Lee Bates was said to have written "America the Beautiful" in 1904 from atop the the peak. The song is used routinely across the country and often sung with the national anthem (some say "America the Beautiful" should be our national anthem). It has also spead across the world as Miss Bates allowed free use of it, and it is sung in Australia with "Australia" substituted for America.

The hiking trail that ascends Pike's Peak is almost 13 miles in length, which is close to the distance of a standard half-marathon. Thus, Pike's Peak became the location of a yearly half-marathon and marathon race.

The first race, which offered only a half-marathon up the mountain, was held in 1936 and had 19 finishers. Following the 1936 race, no runs were held on the mountain until 1956, when the full marathon was incorporated. Both the full marathon up and down Pike's Peak, and the half marathon, have been offered every year since 1956. The largest number of finishers thus far was 2742 in 2005.

The race takes place in the middle of August, and many people from around the United States come to participate. The high elevation of Colorado Springs makes this marathon particularly challenging.