I remember those two were duking it out and Apolo was all mad because Ryan beat him.” “I have the solid numbers, I remember them like they were the other day,” Fretta said. And like many Incline users, he is a big fan of Brandon Stapanowich, the ultrarunner who completed 22 roundtrips on the Incline in 24 hours.īut he said his 16:42 stands as the record. He also appreciates the athletes who have posted fast times there, including Matt Carpenter, the 12-time Pikes Peak Marathon champion, who has an 18:31 to his credit. He still loves the Incline, and tells stories of working out there when he was the world’s top-ranked triathlete at the Olympic distance. He is an attorney, certified by the Oregon Bar. Now 37, Fretta works as a sports agent in Colorado Springs. Those who set fast times will be on their honor to report the truth, and any “record” may be best recognized as a “fastest known time.” It’s likely that more athletes will make record attempts since the Incline became legal in February, 2013. Nobody looks at the details, they just group everyone together.” who knows? There is so much malice without knowledge. Who is to say this person or that person, when they did this time or that time, wasn't doing anything that could have been. “This is the problem I have with the whole argument - aside from the fact that this (suspension) happened in 2012 and that (the record) happened in 2006 - since when has the Incline been regulated? And since when did we keep track of everyone going up? And if we're going to do this, we need to test the people going for these records. With the doping allegations, denial and eventual confession by pro cyclist Lance Armstrong, as well as the suspensions of other high-profile athletes, Fretta said he understands the stigma – because he has experienced it - attached to those suspended from competition. There is no record of him testing positive for any performance-enhancing drug. He also said he had been tested “at least 40 times” prior to his record trip on the Incline. The evidence was enough for USADA to suspend him from competition for four years beginning in 2012, though he had retired as a professional triathlete before the sanction. Fretta said his hemoglobin levels tested at 1 percent and 3 percent outside his normal levels during the off-season. More than five years after Fretta had established his fast Incline time, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) found “variations” in his blood profile, which had been established by a series of earlier tests. To this day it is the fastest known time on the Incline, though some question whether his time should be recognized. He stopped his watch when he hit the summit. To be totally honest, to begin with I may have run a little up the side, rather than stepping on each stair.” “I remember that I started to skip steps where I could, where they’re not too high, then getting over the false summit and just booking … then blowing up, and then recovering and sprinting for the top,” he said. 16-17, Barr Trail will have heavy foot traffic and runners will have the right of way.)įrom there he began a quick power hike, consuming the railroad ties and gaining altitude as quickly as possible. The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon are slated for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. Incline users are encourage to get their last climb in by Friday Aug. (Editor's note: The Incline will be closed for repairs beginning Aug. I was trying to see how long I could run (up the Incline) and I remember running until there was 7:42 on my watch.” “There was maybe a little drizzle, so not a lot of people were there. “It was a perfect day, it was overcast, you couldn't see the sun,” Fretta said. Hungry for a tough workout, they all agreed to push hard on the steep, mile-long railway bed that ascends for 2,000 feet above Manitou Springs. On a cloudy day in 2006, professional triathlete Mark Fretta and Olympic speed skaters Apolo Ohno and Ryan Bradford charged up the Manitou Incline.
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