MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Manitou Springs Incline is what many consider to be an uphill battle.
Between the view from the top, or the near 2,800 hundred steps to get there, it will take your breath away.
On January 17, Erin Ton, a mountaineer and trail runner from Boulder, stamped her name in the Incline’s record books after completing the “Inclinathon” challenge in 11 hours, 22 minutes and 22 seconds.
The aptly named “Inclinathon”, combines the terms “Incline” and “marathon”. It consists of a hiker going up and down the Incline stairway 13 times, which works out to being just under 26 miles traveled, or the distance of a marathon.
It’s the ultimate test for a hikers endurance.
On that Wednesday, Ton smashed the previous time held by a woman by 4 hours and 21 minutes, making her the holder of the “FKT”, or fastest known time, as referred to by the hiking community. Her record breaking pace also notched her in second place all time, right behind Colorado Springs native Wade Gardner, who recorded a 10 hour and 34 minute “Inclinathon” in 2015.