Everyone thought the record was unbeatable, especially due to the weather conditions and a thick layer of snow that had fallen the day before on the upper reaches of the course route. But, Rémi Bonnet (Salomon/Red Bull, Switzerland) had the resources no one was expecting! 1h58’30 on the clock and the Swiss rounded the very last bends of the legendary Pikes Peak climb. A final burst of acceleration and the stopwatch revealed: 2h00’20, 46 seconds faster than Matt Carpenter’s time.
“I knew the altitude was the crux,” confided Rémi Bonnet at the finish line. “I trained and slept in a hypoxia chamber for 20 days before coming here and today I suffered much less from the effects of altitude. I’m really pleased to have beaten this record! People thought it was impossible, but I did it and I’m really proud to show who the world’s best climber is! Now I need to come back and go under the 2-hour barrier!”
Patrick Kipngeno (Run2gether, Kenya) took second place also clocking a fantastic time: 2h04’09. “I’m very happy with my race and this second place. Rémi was on another planet today, it was impossible to keep up with him. I led the pace in the first part of the race but just as I took water, he forged a gap. I’m really pleased because it’s my first time in USA and my first ever race on snow. It is the second time in a row that I’ve finished second on the Golden Trail Series circuit and I’m planning on giving it my all in Mammoth to chase down a victory.”
Eli Hemming (Salomon, USA) rounds off the podium. “I’m very satisfied with this third spot! Every year I get closer to victory so that’s a good thing. Honestly, Rémi was on another planet today but I’m really pleased with my time.”
With three victories under her belt, Sophia Laukli (Salomon, USA) cannot be caught up with before the final, so the American will arrive in Italy leading the women’s ranking. “At Sierre-Zinal I was thrilled to have been able to run a tactical race, but here I started stressing out when Judith overtook me. In the end though, I managed to stay calm and gave a shot at being tactical again by waiting for the final 4 kilometres to attack, and it worked, so I’m really happy. It’s my first Golden Trail Series victory on home ground in the USA, and I also know I’m out of reach in the overall rankings before the final.” This time, Judith Wyder (Hoka/Red Bull, Switzerland) had to be satisfied with second place, after her victory at DoloMyths Run in July.
“I’m happy with this result, I couldn’t have done any better. There was a moment when I thought I could win the race as I was leading all the way to the end of the forest but then Sophia overtook me, and I realised she’d just been biding her time behind me until then and she was stronger than me today!”
Anna Gibson (Brooks, USA) capped off the podium. “I’m so happy with this third place. I tried to take it easy because this is the longest race I’ve ever done, and with the elevation gain and altitude I wanted to keep some in reserve for the end. I’m amazed I finished third in front of all these athletes, it’s incredible!”
Men1 – RÉMI BONNET (SALOMON/RED BULL – CHE): 2:00:20 (+200 pts)
2 – PATRICK KIPNGENO (RUN2GETHER – KEN): 2:04:09 (+188 pts)
3 – ELI HEMMING (SALOMON – USA): 2:07:40 (+176 pts)
4 – SETH DEMOOR (USA): 2:09:47 (+166 pts)
5 – JOSEPH GRAY (HOKA – USA): 2:11:19 (+156 pts)
Women1 – SOPHIA LAUKLI (SALOMON – USA): 2:35:54 (+200 pts)
2 – JUDITH WYDER (HOKA/RED BULL – CHE): 2:39:35 (+188 pts)
3 – ANNA GIBSON (BROOKS – USA): 2:43:59(+176 pts)
4 – MALEN OSA (SALOMON – ESP): 2:47:23 (+166 pts)
5 – SARA ALONSO (ASICS – ESP): 2:48:13 (+156 pts)