Rémi Bonnet Breaks Longtime Pikes Peak Ascent Record

The Swiss runner scaled the 14,115-foot Colorado peak in just over two hours, taking down a 30-year-old record.

It was a record-breaking attempt 30 years in the making, but over the weekend, Matt Carpenter’s long-standing record for the fastest ascent up Pikes Peak was finally broken by Swiss runner Rémi Bonnet. The 28-year-old navigated the famous 14,115 peak in just 2:00:20, breaking Carpenter’s record of 2:01:06 from the 1993 Pikes Peak Marathon. Bonnet set the record at this year’s Pikes Peak Ascent on September 16. The 13.3 mile race set off in Manitou Springs, Colorado, with a grueling incline of 11 percent over the 7,800 feet to the summit. The last 3 miles were littered with snow (in addition to his running pursuits, Bonnet is also an accomplished ski mountaineer).Bonnet was the defending champion from the event, winning last year’s race in 2:07:02. He knew it would take a special day to unseat Carpenter, whose record was considered one of the toughest in the sport. 

“I’m really pleased to have beaten this record! People thought it was impossible, but I did it, and I’m really proud to show who the world’s best climber is,” Bonnet told Run247. “Now I need to come back and go under the 2-hour barrier!”

Bonnet won the $3,000 first-place prize in this year’s Golden Trail World Series race but failed to get the $10,000 time bonus for finishing under two hours—though toppling the record is probably a grand consolation prize.Bonnet has made a name for himself in recent years for uphill running, re-setting his own fastest time on the Manitou Springs Incline, a 2,000-foot climb, the week before his record-breaking run at Pikes Peak. 

Patrick Kipngeno of Kenya, a two-time World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race winner, placed second with a time of 2:04:09, the third-best time on the course behind only Carpenter and now Bonnet. American Eli Hemming was third in the event with a time of 2:07:40 after placing fourth last year. 

American Sophia Laukli won the women’s race in 2:35:54, followed by Judith Wyder (2:39:35) and Anna Gibson (2:43:59).

posted Sunday September 24th
by Runner's World