Joseph Gray wins Pikes Peak climb | Sport

This moment never gets old for Joseph Gray.

The Colorado Springs native won the Pikes Peak Ascent on Saturday with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 13 seconds. 1,996 runners participated. For Gray, this is the third victory in the Ascent since 2019.

“I wanted to go out there and try hard and represent my city,” Gray said. “I did my job.”

With his victory, Gray continued his winning streak after also winning the Barr Trail Mountain Race in July.

During that race, Jonathan Aziz was close to Gray, helping him keep the pace. About an hour into the Ascent, a 13.3-mile run up Pikes Peak, Gray noticed the gap between him and the field.

Gray reached Barr Camp, nearly eight miles into the climb, at 8:04 a.m. Meanwhile, Seth DeMoor, who finished second and followed Gray for most of the race, arrived at 8:07 a.m.

“I came into Barr Camp and saw that I was pretty much alone, so I knew I just had to be consistent from then on,” Gray said. “I was hoping to win and I didn't care about my time.”

Although DeMoor was able to close the gap towards the end of the race, Gray said it was particularly challenging to run unopposed for most of the time.

“When you're alone, you kind of lose sight of the race,” Gray said. “You don't have that pressure and I was able to get a big lead. And when that happens, you lose a lot of time. I had to keep that in mind and I stuck with it until I won.”

When Gray, 40, won the race in 2021, he clocked a time of 2:12:38. Despite competing against several younger competitors and moving up an age group, Gray said he was pleased he could still win.

“It gets harder as you get older, but it's really nice when you can stay consistent,” Gray said. “I felt like I was in control out there and was ready to react if someone caught me towards the end.”

DeMoor finished second with a time of 2:14:58, his best finish in the race since 2019 when he also finished second.

As Gray broke away from DeMoor, the former University of Colorado runner had to fend off Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau, the sprightly 24-year-old who had led DeMoor for most of the race.

“It was a thrilling finish. I've never been so close (on the climb),” said DeMoor. “We were neck and neck in the last mile and I was going fast. But it was pretty painful to catch him.”

The women's race ended similarly: Allie McLaughlin took first place with a time of 2:45:36 and 20th place overall.

On the A-Frame section, about 2.4 km before the final three kilometers of the race, McLaughlin had a lead of almost three minutes over Hali Hafeman, who took second place in the women's race.

However, in the final mile, Hafeman reduced his lead to 64 seconds, which McLaughlin said was “very close in a race like this.”

“I'm not saying the last two miles got me down, but I slowed down. And then I saw Hali,” McLaughlin said. “The last mile wasn't about time, it was about saving energy in case I had to sprint faster than her. The last mile was about playing the game right, and I managed to keep her at bay.”

As McLaughlin crossed the finish line, her dogs Harley and Paha greeted her with wagging tails and lots of kisses.

McLaughlin enjoyed the moment, but had expected to greet her dogs earlier.

“I was really hoping for a faster time,” McLaughlin said. “My fastest time was 2:33 and I felt like I could do that again. In the end, we didn't do it… but it was great to finish and win.”