2020 will bring a slight change to registration for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon: Sign-ups will begin at noon Wednesday, Jan. 1, rather than 2019’s 6 a.m. start.

“I don’t know why we started so early,” race director Ron Ilgen said, chuckling. “Seriously, who’s up that early on New Year’s Day?”

Perhaps those dead set on a particular resolution. If that’s you, wanting to join the 65th running on America’s Mountain, don’t delay.

Ilgen expects most of the Ascent’s 1,800 slots to be taken by the end of January, along with all of the Marathon’s 800 openings. The $160 fee for the 13.32-mile race goes up $15 Feb. 1; the Marathon’s $190 fee increases to $210 at the same time.

The price points remain the same as last year, though the February bump is a change from May.

“Just to make sure everyone gets in. The sooner the better for everybody,” Ilgen said.

Mostly unchanged are qualifying rules, with a subtle adjustment to the number of long-distance competitions organizers will consider as qualifiers.

“We loosened that up a little more,” Ilgen said. “Allowing more ultra runs, trail runs, really anything that shows they’re decent runners and have a chance at succeeding on Pikes Peak.”

The races are slated for Aug. 22 and 23. For more details on qualifying and registering, go to pikespeakmarathon.org.

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