Ron Ilgen does not call the Pikes Peak Marathon a bucket list event.

“I guess I coined the phrase of a ‘death bed event,’” he said. “Where one day you’re laying there and thinking, What have I done with my life? And you can always say you ran the Pikes Peak Marathon.”

That captures the allure of the event set for its 70th running on Sept. 21.

Ilgen has gotten to know the history, the people and, yes, the allure as much as anyone. Before moving on last year, he had directed the marathon for 20 years, watching it grow into the world-renowned phenomenon it is today.

What started as an odd challenge attracting 14 people in 1956 is now “America’s Ultimate Challenge.”

Spanning 7,700-plus feet of vertical gain over 26 miles, the up and down dash along the 14,115-foot peak is annually attempt

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