Results/Photos

Date: Sept. 20, 2025 Participant: Brian Cull #323 Race: 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent Half Marathon Distance: 13.1 miles Weather: Chilly start. Heavy winds (tail/cross wind). Sunny at the finish.

Significant Pace Improvement in High Altitude Challenge Brian Cull, a runner from Colorado Springs, finished the 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent with an elapsed time of 3:22:38. Covering 13.36 miles, he maintained an overall pace of 15:10 min/mile, showing a marked improvement from his 2024 performance of 15:59 min/mile on the same course. Significantly, Brian climbed from 155th to 128th place overall this year among 2049 participants. His advancement in the male open category was also evident as he moved from 138th to 106th position. The improvement in rankings suggests a well-managed strategy on the ascent, especially given the steep incline of the last three miles above the tree line. Analyzing the splits, Brian demonstrated a strong start, clocking a 7:25 min/mile pace in the Ruxton segment. Despite the expected slowdowns at high altitudes, he managed to maintain a consistent effort throughout, particularly between the 6.05-mile and 8.77-mile points, where his pace remained under 17 min/mile. For future races, refining pacing strategies in the last challenging miles may bring further gains in performance.