Results/Photos

Date: Sept. 20, 2025 Participant: Samantha Valentine #472 Race: 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent Half Marathon Distance: 13.1 miles Weather: Chilly start. Heavy winds (tail/cross wind). Sunny at the finish.

Consistent Improvement on the Ascent Samantha Valentine from Albuquerque demonstrated steady progress with her performance at the 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent. She completed the half marathon in 3:52:34 with an elapsed pace of 17:24 min/mile. Notably, her time improved by over four minutes compared to her previous participation in the same event. She secured 309th place overall out of 2049 participants, and notably, 9th in her division, Female 25-29. Analyzing her splits, Samantha started strong, maintaining sub-10:00 min/mile pace at the Ruxton segment. By the time she reached Barr Camp, her pace remained competitive with a notable 14:31 min/mile. The most significant slowing happened as expected post-A-Frame, where altitudes reached over 12,000 feet. While the last three miles challenged her pace up to 24:19 min/mile, maintaining a top-ten division finish indicates consistent stamina and strength. Revisiting late-race hill work could further sharpen Samantha’s already impressive climbs.