race report: pike’s peak marathon

Quoting:

[...] We passed the A-frame and I was again reminded of why I do this. One of my favorite places in the mountains is that space where you go from treeline to alpine (around 11,500 feet). It’s just beautiful. The trees are all gnarled and then they open up into wide, open spaces of rock, grass and wildflowers with views all around. Running and hiking through this part, my smile started to stick. I was having fun. I was loving this race. [...]