Dear Editor:

I’m writing this in letter form to you because I’ve never written an article before nor have I ever written “to the Editor” in response to someone else’s article. Yet, I am compelled to say a few words about something I read in Rocky Mountain Sports, October 1994, titled “Has Peaktus Interruptus Left You Unfulfilled?", by Matt Carpenter.

We, in the Colorado Springs area, know Matt as an accomplished runner, not only here, but throughout the world. But after reading his article, I felt as though he was unfairly trying to diminish the accomplishment of 1750 Peak Ascent runners. With Matt’s viewpoint, if I were to do a marathon, that would only be 1/3 the winning of a Ironman and if I were to do an Ironman, that would only be 1/2 the winning of a double Ironman. Where does it all end? Well, I think it ends at each individual finish line, whether it be a 5K or a 50 miler, on a mountain, or on pavement.

Runners who “just” ran the Ascent this year, or previous years, for that matter, have accomplished a goal that most people never fathom. We train, eat, sleep, and talk PEAK for months before the actual race, just as the Marathoners do. And when we sign up, we don’t look at it as cheating, but as a challenging 13 mile race to the top of a beautiful mountain.

It takes courage on the part of any individual to tackle the PEAK, whether they are running one way or both. When Ascent finishers reach the top, we have struggled to meet a goal, and have overcome numerous physical and mental obstacles as we were ascending. No, we don’t have to turn around and suffer through the heat, dodge other runners, or pick ourselves up after falling, (although some of us do fall going up), but we are faced with the van ride from hell, equipped with complimentary regurgitation receptacles.

This really isn’t a race to most runners, but a personal challenge. It’s not about running a fast time, or about turning around at the top, it’s just about finishing — attaining your own personal goal. It is unfair to imply that the Ascent is less important than the Marathon. Finishing the ASCENT is winning! Finishing the MARATHON is winning!

I know, because I did the round trip for the first time this year, and I do feel good about it. However, no better than when I did the Ascent in previous years. Each race was different and had a different finish line, and each race left me feeling that I had conquered the mountain and won.

I haven’t yet decided what to do next year, but if I do the Ascent, I will still feel proud and be able to say “Yes, it was worth it.”

Hope to see you on the PEAK!

Sincerely,

Robin Walters

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