OTHER Trip Report 05/17/2015

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Manitou Incline - 8601
Date Posted	05/17/2015
Date Climbed	05/16/2015
Author	warg

The Manitou Incline - Inclinathon (13 laps)
Incline Dreams - My Inclinathon (13 laps) story. The Manitou Springs Incline was originally a narrow gage cable car setup. Now with the steel rails gone, the railroad ties make for an amazing stair workout. Starting around 6600' and ending around 8600', the route covers about .9 miles of distance, one way. My first exposure to the Manitou Springs Incline came when I was in the 6th grade. It would have been 1983 (I was born in 1971) and my Dad got the idea that we should go and hike around on it. My memory is a bit fuzzy (that was a LONG time ago) - I'm not sure why it wasn't operating that day. And I'm also not sure if we made it to the top or not. I'm guessing we did not, as that sure would have been memorable. The one thing I do remember was loading up both hands with discarded spikes! If only they had of survived the years and the moves between now and then. And so my Incline Dreams began. Several moves and many years later I found myself back in Colorado Springs in 2004. The incline had become popular as an "illegal trail" and I found myself drawn to the challenge and the beauty. I got to wondering what it would be like to do it twice in a row (CRAZY!) and eventually accomplished that. In 2006 I went "all in" and committed to an incline EVERY WEEK, finishing the year with 52 summits. I was stoked!! In 2007 I heard that someone had done it three times in a row, so of course I had to up that and do it four times. Without proper training and preparation - that one left me sore for a long time! In 2012 my friend Walt and I were training for Aconcagua, so we began carrying up water in our packs (30 to 40 pounds worth). At the top we would drink it, pour it on our heads, or share it with others who had run out. Then an easy descent with no extra weight. Those trips packing the extra weight sure built my muscles up, allowing for my PR that year of 24:26 on the ascent. 2012 was also the year that I saw this crazy article come out... http://www.pikespeaksports.us/video/ed-baxter-climbs-manitou-incline-13-times-in-13-hours-15-minutes I had never been introduced to Ed before that. I knew that he had a twin, Fred, and I knew that if I did the Incline early enough in the morning, they would pass me. Reading that article and watching the video just floored me! What would it be like to do 13 laps? And would I even be able to walk across the finish, let alone jog across it?! While questions abounded, the idea and the inspiration had begun to set in, to be compounded by future stories that began to come out. A week after the initial Inclinathon, Fred finished one in 12:55, and Brandon Stapanowich did it in 11:47!!! Then in that same year, 2012, Greg Cummings got a record for 601 ascents in a year. WOW! Not to be left out, Roger Austin came back with 719 ascents in 2013, to which Greg had to come back in 2014 with 1400 ascents within a year's time! During this time period, Joe Monger finished a year with 550 ascents, and Steve Stermer also finished a 500+ year. And then to top it all off, Brandon came back with an "UltraInclinathon" - a 24 hours of Incline event, during which he completed 22 laps in a 24 hour period. Marvelous!! As 2015 rolled around there were the 4 guys who had done 500+ trips in one year, and 6 (including Greg, Roger and Ryan Johnson) who had completed the Inclinathon. As I found myself looking for a goal for the year, the idea of joining the 500 Club seemed perfect. With 52 weeks in a year, that meant that if I could average 10 laps a week, I could stay on track. Not wanting to make the trip over every day, I settled in on trying to make it over 3 days a week, and somehow getting the needed 10 laps in those 3 trips. Based on my trip times and my drive times, it was going to take about 8 hours a week to accomplish this goal. A big commitment, but definitely not impossible. I was hooked! As 2015 has passed by, I found that I could complete 4, 5 and even 6 laps at a time without too much pain afterwards. In looking at the Inclinathon times I began to see that the secret to a fast total time was going to be dependent on how fast I could come down the incline. While up is all about strength and stamina, down is all about dexterity and the willingness to take risks. I started trying to track my down times, and found that on average it was around a 12 minute down time. So then I got curious as to what kind of top time I could get coming down. So on April 13th I timed a lap on Strava, and got a 25:32 up and a 9:09 down. Pretty exciting! I had been building up, and on May 7th I was ready to go for 8 laps in a day. Everything went well, although it was a learning experience in hydration and nutrition. With a total time of 5:50, I was really happy. I started really thinking that I had a real shot at a record time for the Inclinathon. I kept telling myself that I was going to put it off until the Fall, when I was good and ready for it. But on May 16th, my plans for the weekend had fallen through. So I told myself that I would go for 12 laps and let it be another learning experience and preparation for an eventual Inclinathon. Roger was there that morning, getting 7 laps in. He kept encouraging me to go for 13 laps, as did Fred and Ed when they showed up for their Saturday morning lap on the incline. So I told myself that I would do 12 laps and check the time to see if I could get a record time or not. The day started great, just before 4am. It was dark and cool, with just Roger and I out there. Before long it was getting light, and the Saturday crowd started showing up. Roger had to leave after lap 7, and not getting to see him on every lap made me realize how encouraging it is to have people out there who know what you are doing. Most people I would pass a second time would comment, "Oh wow! Are you doing 2 laps?!?" It sure made me appreciate the other incline regulars who gave me some encouragement along the way! I really felt like I had the nutrition and hydration dialed in. Plus it was a nice day - in the 50's in the morning, then some cloud cover and even some rain on my last three laps to cool things off. I don't know what was different about lap 10, but I really felt like I hit a groove and was just going on autopilot. I wasn't even desperate to finish up, just cranking out one lap after the other. At the top I would stop long enough to kick the top tie, then turn and sprint for the bottom again. And repeat! When I was able to check the time after lap 12, I found out that I had more than 2 hours to go before hitting Brandon's 11:47 record. I was feeling great, and the pressure was off - I knew I could do it! Talk about a fun last lap! Some folks on the incline had figured out what I was doing, and I got some great encouragement coming down that last time. I finished that last lap at a run, smiling to myself as I thought of Ed finishing his Inclinathon and realizing what an inspiration his trip had been to me. I checked the time, and posted a new Inclinathon record of 10:34! Almost unbelievable! I type this up the day after, and 2015 is far from over. I'm currently at 242 laps for the year, well on the way to hitting my goal of 500 trips this year. It has been really encouraging to know that Thayer Mayer is working on the same goal, and will probably be completing his own Inclinathon shortly as well. Go Thayer! And Roger Austin is well on his way to completing a new record for number of trips in a year. I am anticipating over 1500 trips for him.... But time will tell! Go Roger! I have certainly been inspired by those who made what looked impossible to be a new reality. And I would hope that someone out there would find some inspiration here. Maybe to do the Incline for the first time, and maybe to do it 13 (or more!) times. Whatever it is, make it a kairos* moment - a point in time when something happens! After a winter Incline ascent! Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

The Manitou Incline - Inclinathon (13 laps)

Incline Dreams - My Inclinathon (13 laps) story.

*The Manitou Springs Incline was originally a narrow gage cable car setup. Now with the steel rails gone, the railroad ties make for an amazing stair workout. Starting around 6600' and ending around 8600', the route covers about .9 miles of distance, one way.

My first exposure to the Manitou Springs Incline came when I was in the 6th grade. It would have been 1983 (I was born in 1971) and my Dad got the idea that we should go and hike around on it. My memory is a bit fuzzy (that was a LONG time ago) - I'm not sure why it wasn't operating that day. And I'm also not sure if we made it to the top or not. I'm guessing we did not, as that sure would have been memorable. The one thing I do remember was loading up both hands with discarded spikes! If only they had of survived the years and the moves between now and then.

And so my Incline Dreams began.

Several moves and many years later I found myself back in Colorado Springs in 2004. The incline had become popular as an "illegal trail" and I found myself drawn to the challenge and the beauty. I got to wondering what it would be like to do it twice in a row (CRAZY!) and eventually accomplished that. In 2006 I went "all in" and committed to an incline EVERY WEEK, finishing the year with 52 summits. I was stoked!! In 2007 I heard that someone had done it three times in a row, so of course I had to up that and do it four times. Without proper training and preparation - that one left me sore for a long time!

In 2012 my friend Walt and I were training for Aconcagua, so we began carrying up water in our packs (30 to 40 pounds worth). At the top we would drink it, pour it on our heads, or share it with others who had run out. Then an easy descent with no extra weight. Those trips packing the extra weight sure built my muscles up, allowing for my PR that year of 24:26 on the ascent.

2012 was also the year that I saw this crazy article come out...
http://www.pikespeaksports.us/video/ed-baxter-climbs-manitou-incline-13-times-in-13-hours-15-minutes

I had never been introduced to Ed before that. I knew that he had a twin, Fred, and I knew that if I did the Incline early enough in the morning, they would pass me. Reading that article and watching the video just floored me! What would it be like to do 13 laps? And would I even be able to walk across the finish, let alone jog across it?!

While questions abounded, the idea and the inspiration had begun to set in, to be compounded by future stories that began to come out. A week after the initial Inclinathon, Fred finished one in 12:55, and Brandon Stapanowich did it in 11:47!!! Then in that same year, 2012, Greg Cummings got a record for 601 ascents in a year. WOW! Not to be left out, Roger Austin came back with 719 ascents in 2013, to which Greg had to come back in 2014 with 1400 ascents within a year's time! During this time period, Joe Monger finished a year with 550 ascents, and Steve Stermer also finished a 500+ year. And then to top it all off, Brandon came back with an "UltraInclinathon" - a 24 hours of Incline event, during which he completed 22 laps in a 24 hour period. Marvelous!!

As 2015 rolled around there were the 4 guys who had done 500+ trips in one year, and 6 (including Greg, Roger and Ryan Johnson) who had completed the Inclinathon. As I found myself looking for a goal for the year, the idea of joining the 500 Club seemed perfect. With 52 weeks in a year, that meant that if I could average 10 laps a week, I could stay on track. Not wanting to make the trip over every day, I settled in on trying to make it over 3 days a week, and somehow getting the needed 10 laps in those 3 trips. Based on my trip times and my drive times, it was going to take about 8 hours a week to accomplish this goal. A big commitment, but definitely not impossible. I was hooked!

As 2015 has passed by, I found that I could complete 4, 5 and even 6 laps at a time without too much pain afterwards. In looking at the Inclinathon times I began to see that the secret to a fast total time was going to be dependent on how fast I could come down the incline. While up is all about strength and stamina, down is all about dexterity and the willingness to take risks. I started trying to track my down times, and found that on average it was around a 12 minute down time. So then I got curious as to what kind of top time I could get coming down. So on April 13th I timed a lap on Strava, and got a 25:32 up and a 9:09 down. Pretty exciting!

I had been building up, and on May 7th I was ready to go for 8 laps in a day. Everything went well, although it was a learning experience in hydration and nutrition. With a total time of 5:50, I was really happy. I started really thinking that I had a real shot at a record time for the Inclinathon. I kept telling myself that I was going to put it off until the Fall, when I was good and ready for it. But on May 16th, my plans for the weekend had fallen through. So I told myself that I would go for 12 laps and let it be another learning experience and preparation for an eventual Inclinathon. Roger was there that morning, getting 7 laps in. He kept encouraging me to go for 13 laps, as did Fred and Ed when they showed up for their Saturday morning lap on the incline. So I told myself that I would do 12 laps and check the time to see if I could get a record time or not.

The day started great, just before 4am. It was dark and cool, with just Roger and I out there. Before long it was getting light, and the Saturday crowd started showing up. Roger had to leave after lap 7, and not getting to see him on every lap made me realize how encouraging it is to have people out there who know what you are doing. Most people I would pass a second time would comment, "Oh wow! Are you doing 2 laps?!?" It sure made me appreciate the other incline regulars who gave me some encouragement along the way!

I really felt like I had the nutrition and hydration dialed in. Plus it was a nice day - in the 50's in the morning, then some cloud cover and even some rain on my last three laps to cool things off. I don't know what was different about lap 10, but I really felt like I hit a groove and was just going on autopilot. I wasn't even desperate to finish up, just cranking out one lap after the other. At the top I would stop long enough to kick the top tie, then turn and sprint for the bottom again. And repeat!
When I was able to check the time after lap 12, I found out that I had more than 2 hours to go before hitting Brandon's 11:47 record. I was feeling great, and the pressure was off - I knew I could do it! Talk about a fun last lap! Some folks on the incline had figured out what I was doing, and I got some great encouragement coming down that last time. I finished that last lap at a run, smiling to myself as I thought of Ed finishing his Inclinathon and realizing what an inspiration his trip had been to me. I checked the time, and posted a new Inclinathon record of 10:34! Almost unbelievable!

I type this up the day after, and 2015 is far from over. I'm currently at 242 laps for the year, well on the way to hitting my goal of 500 trips this year. It has been really encouraging to know that Thayer Mayer is working on the same goal, and will probably be completing his own Inclinathon shortly as well. Go Thayer! And Roger Austin is well on his way to completing a new record for number of trips in a year. I am anticipating over 1500 trips for him.... But time will tell! Go Roger!

I have certainly been inspired by those who made what looked impossible to be a new reality. And I would hope that someone out there would find some inspiration here. Maybe to do the Incline for the first time, and maybe to do it 13 (or more!) times. Whatever it is, make it a kairos moment - a point in time when something happens!

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

Caleb Braun	Beast! 5/17/2015 5:09pm Way to go Wade! Nice report. It’s awesome to hear the details, your history, and strategy. You and all others in the "500" Club are very inspiring. I don’t look at the incline the same way anymore. It’s always a pleasure to share a lap (or a few) with you :)
DanR	Awesome! 5/18/2015 7:20am That’s a heck of an achievement, and it sounds like getting there was a very rewarding journey. Thanks for sharing!
jrs1965	Wow 5/18/2015 8:49am All very incredible but the most amazing is a 9:09 descent! I’m struggling to get down in about 20 minutes and typically slip and slide through all of the steep parts. Then I go home and take a nap after doing just one lap! You, Roger, Ryan, Thayer, Greg, the Baxter’s, Jill, and anybody that does multiple ascents are pure animals.
kman	I WANT 5/19/2015 6:30pm what you’re having for breakfast! Damn impressive Wade! I met you and Walt a few times on Pikes Peak (a few years back) as you guys were training for Aconcagua. I remember reading your subsequent trip report on Acon and how you ended up soloing it in some very tough conditions during the early season that year. Looks like that same tough mental attitude still drives you as I see what you’re doing on the Incline that us mere mortals can only dream of doing! Keep it up and great job! My hat is off to you Sir.
SHmids	Clueless 5/21/2015 5:06pm I totally get how people around you not having a clue what you are doing has an impact! I was carrying a 40+ lb weighted pack last year and had someone (who I was passing) stop and ask, almost condecendingly, if I was carrying a little weight. I wanted to punch them. Then someone else (who was passing me) made the simple encouraging comment...’Way to knock it out the hard way!’ Made all the difference! Congrats on the record and thank you for the example of perseverance!
warg	Thanks! 6/1/2015 10:30pm Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! It’s been quite the amazing journey. My ankle got "tweaked" with all the descents, but it’s been recovering over the last couple of weeks. Kman!!! Are you still getting a Pikes Peak summit in every month?? You sure inspired me! Last year I got 12 Pikes Peak summits in due to you setting the example! Right now I’m brainstorming what 2016 might hold in store.... :D

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