This story has been archived from the Thursday, August 23, 2007, Pikes Peak Bulletin - Manitou Springs, Colorado

Manitou’s Carpenter repeats amazing record performance

By Jack Elder

Winning both the Pikes Peak Ascent foot race and the Pikes Peak Marathon the next day has only been accomplished twice — both times by Matt Carpenter of Manitou Springs.

Carpenter did it for the second time in Saturday’s and Sunday’s races.

Carpenter won Saturday’s Ascent with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 56 seconds. Carpenter set the Ascent record of 2:01:06 in 1993 as part of the uphill leg of the Marathon. Carpenter’s 2:08:27 in the uphill portion of last year’s Marathon is the current age group record for the 43-year old.

Carpenter, who as of the Wednesday leading into the weekend’s races, hadn’t decided which of the two races, or both, to compete in, went ahead and ran both. Carpenter won Sunday’s Marathon in a time of 3:48:41, almost two minutes ahead of Boulder’s Dave Mackey.

Carpenter set the overall Marathon record of 3:16:39 in 1993 and set the age group record a year ago with a time of 3:33:07.

Only in Manitou Only in Manitou: With photographers clicking away, Matt Carpenter heads up Pikes Peak Sunday to complete his dual victory. Carpenter is the only person to have ever won both the Pikes Peak Ascent and the Pikes Peak Marathon in the same year. Saturday's and Sunday's wins were the second time the 43-year old Manitou resident has pulled off the highly improbable double. Carpenter holds the course and age group records in both events and won the Marathon last year.

The event’s only ever “doubler” winner first ran both races in 1989, finishing second in the Ascent and winning the Marathon. In 1990 he won the Ascent and took sixth in the Marathon. His first twin victory came in 2001.

As recently as 2001, there were only 41 doublers; two years ago there were 137 and this year there were 141, or 18 percent of the Marathon field.

“Doubling makes you think more strategically. There’s almost as much strategy in it as running,” Carpenter said of pulling off the twin victory.

Expending no more energy than absolutely necessary in Saturday’s race is key, Carpenter told The Bulletin. Fortunately, his Ascent lead was secure most of the way.

“There was no need to overdo it Saturday,” Carpenter said.

Between races, Carpenter said that he soaked in Fountain Creek and drank copious amounts of race sponsor Energy, Athletics and Strength’s chocolate energy drink.

The EAS sponsorship brought another dimension to the race — prize money, and with it a host of competitive newcomers, a feature of the Pikes Peak races likely to become a trend. Carpenter earned $3,000 for winning the Ascent and $5,000 for winning the Marathon the next day.

With the lure of money, Carpenter observed, “These young whipper-snappers, they’re coming after me.”

The race is punishing. Carpenter took three bags of intravenous hydration following the Marathon.

Many runners needed far more post-race attention and, as always, several displayed cuts, scrapes and bruises.

When asked Tuesday if he’d recovered from his record-extending feat, Carpenter said that he had just returned from a 20-minute run, but that he would experience residual fatigue for “a couple months.”

Manitou’s world renown runner said that he is considering a 50-mile race in California in December.