My friend Donna Messenger and her husband, Bill, came to
visit last week. Now they live in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, but between 1969 and
1979, they lived in the hills north and west of Fort Collins and were teachers,
coaches and stalwart members of the Fort Collins running community.
In 1972 Donna, who was 29 at the time, did the Pike’s Peak
Ascent in Colorado Springs in a time of 3:28:26, placing first in her age group
and beginning a tradition that continues to this day. On August 16, she’ll
ascend Pikes Peak for the 17th time, in 43 years, and she’ll race
down the hill too, in an attempt to break her own 70-plus age group round trip record.
Over time, she’s won the race 6 times and placed 10th or higher 10
times.
Because she’s a multi-time overall Pikes Peak race winner, she’ll
never again need to qualify or pay an entry fee for the race. Her fastest
ascent , 3:02:24, came when she was 32.
Her fastest round trip, 5:05:40, she did the following year, 1976 at age
33.
We did a couple of training runs together last week,
reminiscing about the time we ran the same mile together ten times, back and
forth, getting in a 20-mile training run—a first for me—in preparation for the
Denver Marathon. That year, 1976, a huge May snowstorm kept Donna from getting
out of her mountain home and made it impossible for her to compete. She made up
for it by winning the fall Denver Marathon that year.
All stats aside, why does Donna continue to run Pikes Peak?
She’ll tell you that she loves the challenge of the altitude and the rugged
trail. Being in the forest makes her happy. “I like working hard,” she says,
“seeing if I can overcome the elements.”
She looks forward to the camaraderie of the trail and after
so many years of running the race, she knows lots of the returning participants.
For her, the hardest part of the race is between timberline and the A frame,
three miles before the summit. “When that stretch is over you know you’re going
to make it,” she said.
She doesn’t run as many shorter races as she once did, but
her training is consistent and focused on being prepared for PP. “It’s a great
goal for me,” she explains.
That 70-plus round trip record of hers she’s out to beat?
7:57:08 in 2013. Stay tuned and I’ll report.
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