Kilian Jornet has once again won the Pikes Peak Marathon seven years after his winning it the only other time he competed. He held first position throughout the race in a bid to break the record set in 1993 by Matt Carpenter but in the end finished in a time of  3:27:29, 11 minutes short of the American’s record. 

The runners set off from Colorado Springs at 7am, the 64th time this legendary mountain marathon has been staged. Kilian Jornet made a good start and at kilometre 12,2, the famous Barr Camp mountain refuge, he was leading in a time of 1:03:56, more than three minutes ahead of his pursuers.  Jornet reached the Pikes summit, which at 4,302m gives the event its name, in a time of  2:09:12, the 18th best time for an ascent and eight minutes slower than Carpenter’s best time in 1993. 

“Great race this morning. An amazing atmosphere and a tough race climbing up and down Pikes Peak. Legs wasn’t light today but the cardio was great and allowed me to get a gap from the start and manage it for the win in front of Sage and Marc” , Jornet said.  

Jornet maintained and even extended his lead during the descent. The American Sage Canaday finished second in a time of 3h39’05’’ with the Swiss Marc Lauenstein, third in 3h40’31’’. 

This victory, added to wins at Sierre Zinal and Zegama, puts Jornet in the lead in the Golden Trail World Series, with two events remaining