Carpenter wins 5th straight Barr Trail Mountain Race

Matt Carpenter of Manitou Springs won the 9th Annual Barr Trail Mountain Race in a time of 1 hour, 33 minutes, 27 seconds. Carpenter, 43, has now won five consecutive Barr Trail races and seven of the nine races since the event began in 2000.

"From a running stand point it's always nice to win, but this race is about much more than that," Carpenter said. "We set a new record by raising over $19,000 for area high schools and for the Friends of the Peak Organization."

All 425 participants paid an entry fee, and people were also free to donate whatever amount they wanted to the cause. Pikes Peak National Bank also sponsored the event and gave over $6,000.

"The field is topped out every year, and we don't want to expand it too much because then the race would get too crowded," race director Larry Miller said. "This is a very fun event for two great causes, and for the runners it's good training for next month's Pikes Peak Marathon."

Runners gather at the base of Pikes Peak for the 9th annual Barr Trail Mountain Race.

And they are off!

Laura Haefeli, 40, of Del Norte, CO was the female champion, runnning 1:50:48.

Keri Nelson of Grand Junction (3rd, 1:52:46), Samantha McGlone of Colorado Springs (2nd, 1:51:45) and Laura Haefeli at the awards ceremony. (L to R)

Daryn Parker of Manitou Springs (3rd, 1:36:44), Payton Batliner of Boulder (2nd, 1:36:37) and Matt Carpenter at the awards ceremony.

Two runners from Coronada High School accept a check as part of the high school aid station challenge.

Photos from this event for sale! Click here to seach for your photo.

All photos by Michael Patton