Article by Hugh Johnson | Colorado Springs Gazette
Sunday was a beautiful day for Colorado Springs resident Sarah Guhl … no matter how damp, cool, and gloomy it was in Manitou Springs.
Guhl, 32, was the overall female winner of a truncated 2024 Pikes Peak Marathon with a finishing chip time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 55 seconds.
Sunday marked her final race with her maiden name and following the victory, she didn’t wait to celebrate with her groom-to-be.
“I’m from here and it’s been a lifelong dream to win this race,” she said. “It’s just such a beautiful day, I’m just really grateful to be out here. My fiance is here, I’m getting married in three weeks. So fun to celebrate that with him.”
Travis Kuschner is no stranger to his fiancée’s running prowess. Beaming with pride, he told the story of how he met Guhl at an 18-mile run and said she beat his time by an hour, the result was the same when they both competed in the marathon.
Sunday marked the 69th edition of the marathon but this year’s race was different. At 5:30 a.m., about 90 minutes ahead of the race start for the first wave of runners, race officials decided to shorten this year’s event due to snowy and icy conditions at the top of Pikes Peak.
Instead of racing from Manitou Springs to the summit of the mountain and back, runners turned around at Barr Camp and returned to town Sunday, trimming the usual 26.2 miles to 14.75.
Click here to read the full article at the Colorado Springs Gazette.
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