This wild and wacky event on Pikes Peak is not for the weak or weary.
WTF Marathon
No, it’s not what you are thinking, but now that I have your attention, let me tell you about the brainchild of Manitou Springs, CO-based Brandon Stapanowich, who is also known for such exploits as PU: The Stank (Pikes Ultra, 4-times up and down Pikes Peak, 31,000 feet of gain/loss, ~100 miles), 24 Hours of the Incline (22-times up and down the Manitou Incline, 44,000 feet gain/loss, record holder), Barkley Marathons participant, Nolan’s 14, among many other grandiose and extreme adventures.
Contrary to popular millennial belief, this WTF stands for “Winter Tava Frozen” and it is a marathon where participants, “choose your own route to the summit of Pikes Peak and back down for a total of 26.2 miles,” according to the event’s Facebook Page description. Since the WTF Marathon starts at the same location as the Pikes Peak Marathon, it could be considered a marathon, however, since accumulation of snow and ice can leave the Barr Trail with some impassable sections, one might want to take an alternate route. This could shave off as much as 6 miles or add more additional distance to push into the ultra-distance territory.
“Originally dubbed the Pikes Peak Winter Marathon, we moved our date to maintain our event six months from the Pikes Peak Marathon,” Stapanowich said. “With this change in date and, in an effort to steer clear of any trademark or copyright infringement territory, I renamed the event to Winter Tava Frozen [WTF] Marathon. This year, the event was held on the last weekend of winter in March, which is usually one of the snowiest months in our area.”
In addition to the Marathon, participants could choose to run up to Barr Camp and back (aka “Half WTFers”) or run up to A-Frame and back (treeline, ~20 miles roundtrip). It’s all very relaxed, in true Stapanowich fashion. His most important rule: “Don’t die!”
View of Pikes Peak – Tavá Kaa-vi — the Sun Mountain – from Manitou Springs. Photo: Peter Maksimow
Educational sidenote: Tava Mountain (pronounced Tuh-VAH, not Ta-vaa) was the name of current day Pikes Peak, given by the Ute people, who were the original inhabitants of the Front Range mountains. Tava translates to “Sun Mountain” because it was the towering figure to the west which was first illuminated by the rising sun in the east. Ute also means “land of the sun.”
Winter Summits
This idea of summiting Pikes Peak during the winter months is not a new idea. In fact, it has been done every year for more than a century by a small exclusive group of mountaineers called the AdAmAn Club. Annually, on December 30 and 31, this group ascends the often snowy and icy Barr Trail on the east face of Pikes Peak and, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, sets off an impressive fireworks display at the summit of Pikes Peak to ring in the New Year.
Intrepid Souls Gather
A brave group of seven milled around on the chilly morning of March 18, at the corner of Manitou Avenue and El Paso Boulevard in front of Manitou Springs City Hall, including such characters as “Crazy” Bob Stuka, known for his Incline exploits, and Michael Marinez, the lone runner taking on the challenge in shorts. Kristina Mascarenas, a local trail running standout who competed in 40K as part of Team USA at the 2022 World Trail & Mountain Running World Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and her brother Jesse ran up Manitou Avenue to greet the small crowd. When asked if she was going to give the WTF Marathon a try, she curtly replied, “Heck no, I want to run!”
Anyone who has ever run with Mascarenas knows that she is very particular about her training, choosing to run fast rather than slowly trudging through deep snow. The last person to join the group was local runner, Ted Schultz. It must have been car problems with his BMW that caused his delayed arrival.
Near the start at Manitou Springs City Hall. Photo: Peter Maksimow
After a friendly joshing about the reliability of Schultz’s BMW, he gave me the actual reason he was running late to the start of the WTF Marathon. “I was late because I was contemplating life decisions and packing extra gear last minute.”
It is Schultz who informs me of the exploits of the AdAmAn Club. “In 1922/1923 New Years was the first year of the AdAmAn Club winter summit attempt so this would be the 100th-ish anniversary of that summit.” Schultz, who is now one of them, proclaimed, “A hundred years of crazy people!”
Trepidation Ensues
Local Colorado Springs runner, Julie Powell, was one of the Full WTFers who had considerable trepidation before setting off on the challenging grind up and down Sun Mountain. Understandingly, as she later stated in her Strava report, “mostly due to the recent snow, of unknown depth and low forecasted temps (high of 8, minus-18 windchill).” Her gear was also a topic of concern: she wondered if her shoes–a pair of Nike Pegasus Trail GTX–would hold up to the deep snow and cold temperatures? Carrying additional clothing and food meant a larger, thus heavier, pack. “The thought of hiking that far slow and heavy, rather than light and fast as I’m used to, wasn’t very appealing,” she said.
That was only the start of her Zen interruptions she faced that day. “The group dropped me instantly,” Powell wrote, “but with conditions being what they were, it was everyone for themselves.”
Onward and Upward
After regrouping at the top of the 2,000-foot Manitou Incline, the trudging began. “There was snow from the top of the Incline the rest of the way,” stated Powell, “which made the slow-going trail that much slower.”
Trudging through the snow up the Barr Trail. Photo: Ted Schultz
After stopping at Barr Camp–the halfway point to the summit with an elevation of 10,200ft–to fuel and regroup, Powell’s carnelian necklace broke and the beads spilled everywhere. She lost half of the beads of her necklace, including the main charm adorned with the Om symbol. “I took that as a sign that I can’t control anything, even the things I thought I should/could control,” she thought to herself. Her Om mantra was becoming more of an “Ugh.”
Powell did eventually reach the 14,115-foot summit after battling below-freezing temperatures and following the “sketchy” beeline tracks of those in front of her from Barr Trail by hiking, “straight up the mountain through a rock and snow-filled gulley to the summit.” Although the hard part was over, her return trip was not without challenges, or discomfort, as a “tendon or ligament in my left ankle felt like it would snap in half with every step, whether walking or running.”
Make Wise Decisions
Elaborating on the “don’t die” rule, Stapanowich said, “The only real rule is to make wise decisions in the name of safety because at the end of the day, we want everyone to come back down without injury and without burdening our search and rescue teams.”
Pikes Peak is one of the most trafficked 14ers in Colorado, however, winter adds additional risks. “While the peak is relatively straightforward and an ‘easier’ 14er than most in winter, there are still unique considerations that one doesn’t have to worry about in summer…things like negative wind chills and snow drifts requiring off trail navigation,” he adds. “Avalanches on the east face are very rare, but they have happened. There’s actually a plaque that we passed on the route this year dedicated to Bill Blair, a skier who died on the east face of Pikes in an avalanche that happened in April 1995. I think reminding people of this is useful in the conversation of safety.”
Scenic vistas along the way, an amazing backdrop for the WTF. Photo: Ted Schultz
WTF Marathon Back Story
Stapanowich goes on tell me the origins of WTF Marathon:
“The first annual event happened in February 2021 and was largely brought about during a time when Covid-related race cancellations were still common. As a result, there was a space for a fatass run where people could arrange to run with friends, but otherwise be as spaced out as they wanted. Additionally, in Colorado there seems to be very few mountain running races during the winter. It’s understandable why permitting an Alpine race in winter would be problematic with snow conditions and frigid temperatures. And at the same time, some of my favorite summits of Pikes Peak have come in the offseason where the views and experience are just so different. I wanted to open the idea of a winter summit to others who may have only done the peak during the summer months. My first ultra race was the 2006 Mount Mitchell Challenge, a 40-mile race held in late February in North Carolina. There’s often snow and ice and tough conditions, yet that’s what adds to the appeal. I think it’s the same way with Pikes.”
Summary
Overall, there were 10 finishers in the WTF Marathon, two finishes in the WTF A-Framers (treeline, 3 miles from the summit), and four “Half WTFers.” The award–other than the thrill of surviving a 14’er during winter–was a coveted WTF Marathon bumper sticker. Powell was gifted with another prize. “Got home exhausted and as I was taking off my gear, the Om charm from my carnelian necklace appeared!” In what was obviously a Type 2 Fun endeavor, she adds, “The worst decisions make the best memories.”
Until next year…it’s snow time!
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