MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — By the time Darren Thomas returned to Manitou Springs on Sunday, he had climbed nearly 7,800 vertical feet, reached the summit of Pikes Peak and raced back down Barr Trail.
It was a trip he had made nine times before. This time, he returned first.
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Thomas won the 71st Pikes Peak Marathon in 3 hours, 57 minutes, and it was his first victory in an event where he said he had previously finished second, third and fifth.
“This is like a childhood dream to win this race,” Thomas said. “I've been coming, volunteering, spectating, running for so long.”
The 26.2-mile race began in downtown Manitou Springs. Runners covered approximately 1.5 miles on the road before joining Barr Trail for the climb to the 14,115-foot summit.
Unlike Saturday's 13.3-mile Pikes Peak Ascent, which ended at the summit, Sunday's marathon required runners to turn around and return along the same trail. That meant reaching the top marked only the halfway point.
Thomas, who now lives in Reno, Nevada, said the altitude made it difficult for him to stay with the leaders during the climb. Instead of forcing the pace, he focused on eating, drinking and getting to the summit with enough left for the descent.
“I struggled a little bit, but just kept eating and drinking, and had a decent time at the top,” Thomas said. “Then I was just planning on bombing the downhill, and that's what happened. I had a really good downhill.”
Thomas said breaking the race into smaller goals helped him manage the time spent at high altitude. He focused on taking a gel every 20 minutes and drinking water every five minutes instead of thinking about the entire course at once.
As he returned to Manitou Springs, Thomas ran past the home where he once lived on Ruxton Avenue. His wife, parents and grandmother were among the supporters waiting near the finish.
The victory also carried the memory of his dog, Pike, who died within the past year.
“The mountain means a lot to me,” Thomas said. “I named my dog Pike, actually. We had to put him down this last year, so this was like a little memory for him. Just really special.”
Among the people cheering Sunday was Matt Gero, who completed the Pikes Peak Ascent one day earlier. After experiencing the climb himself, Gero returned to support marathon runners facing both halves of the mountain.
“I know what it was like to go up one way and to have to go up there, turn around and come back,” Gero said. “I know what they're feeling. They're pushing hard.”
The weekend placed Olympians, Paralympians, world champions and returning champions on the same mountain as first-time Pikes Peak runners. No matter their experience, each marathoner faced the same climb to the summit and the same demanding return to Manitou Springs.
View the complete 2026 Pikes Peak Marathon results.
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