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Over the years, I've had various people tell me various things like 'you're crazy', 'you're a wild man', or my favorite, which was 'I've never seen anyone do that before'. Some these exclamations came from innocent bystanders which became spectators as I hurtled down the mountain, other verifications of my 'lunacy' come from my friends. My perspective is that it is all part of the mountain experience -- about the only thing better than going up the mountain and then enjoying the view is the free trip down provided by gravity. Most people put a lot of effort into fighting gravity when they descend. I embrace gravity -- it is my friend.
Running downhill is not so much running as fall management. For some reason, my runner friends occasionally trip and fall when running downhill -- this is not very healthy and should be avoided as much as possible. The way to avoid falling is to fall all the way down the mountain, in a controlled manner -- I call it fall management. Basically, you have to adapt your running style for the terrain. Sometimes if the grade is gentle, you just simply run downhill, keeping whatever stride is most comfortable and efficient. Steeper terrain often requires a different tactic -- shortening the stride, just like you would shift into a lower gear if you were driving down a steep hill. This provides more control and reduces the risk of overstride (which can be damaging to the joints). But your legs are moving faster, so foot placement becomes key -- in short, effective technical downhill running requires skill. Endurance is not as important. As the technicality of the trail (or off-trail) increases, skill-groups used more often in skiing become key -- balance, picking your fall line, avoiding obstacles, and managing gravity. Obviously, the risk of injury or death increases when running down 'crazy' hills. This is not a sport for the faint-hearted, and very few races even feature technical downhill runs (I only know of about 3 races that I would put into this category). It is probably best that most runners stick to trail running and hill-climbing. Even I try to limit the amount of kamikaze running I do -- but when the time is right and the slope presents itself, bonzai!
I do not really participate in kamikaze running for the purpose of setting remarkable records, but for the sheer adrenaline rush that it gives. These PR's are simply listed because I think they are interesting. I do not make any claims to be remarkably fast, or that these descent times can't be beat -- I'm sure than anyone willing to risk blowing their knees, ankles, and the possibility of falling over cliffs and ledges could do these descents much faster than me.
In addition, some ethics should be considered -- extreme downhill running should be avoided if it causes damage to the environment or to you! Cutting switchbacks to gain a faster time is unethical and dangerous. On occasion I have found trails where it is possible to jump from switchback to switchback (they were really short switchbacks!) and have done so, but this too is very risky. Occasionally what you think may be the next switchback below is actually a big drop-off. Also, such jumping is extremely hard on the knees and ankles -- your body will pay the price if you get too extreme (as in most sports -- a good example is mountain biking -- sure people have done some crazy things, but people have also broken bones and been killed in the attempt). On more than one occasion, I have been tearing down through the woods and almost jumped off of a 10-20 foot cliff -- obviously, you have to be smart about what you're doing. Know the course before you even attempt to run down!
Okay, these disclaimers and warnings aside, here are my descent PR's. They are split into several groups -- peak to trailhead descents (more typical trail running), descent spurts (short descent splits on a certain route -- these are the high octane parts of the descent like scree slopes on 14'ers or particularly steep sections of trails), and finally fastest downhill runs of given lengths.
Peak |
Date |
Net Elevation Loss (ft) |
Distance Down (mi) |
Time down |
Average Grade (rise/run) |
Pace Down (mph or min/mile) |
Descent Rate (ft/min) and (ft/hr) |
Trailhead/Route |
| Mount Belford | 06/18/05 | 4557 | 3.5 | 0:44:44 | -25.4% | 4.7 | -102 ft/min, -6112 ft/hr |
Top of Mount Belford back to Missouri Gulch Trailhead, via trail |
| Horsetooth Rock (N) | 09/26/06 | 1500 | 2.6 | 0:15:36 | -11.1% | 10.0 | -96 ft/min, -5769 ft/hr |
Top of N. Summit to gate via service road - broke open FKT! |
| 06/08/06 | 1500 | 2.6 | 0:16:58 | -11.1% | 9.2 | -88 ft/min, -5305 ft/hr |
Top of N. Summit to gate via service road - broke open FKT! |
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| 08/16/05 | 1500 | 2.6 | 0:19:19 | -11.3% | 8.1 | -78 ft/min, -4659 ft/hr |
Top of N. summit to gate via Audra Culver service road |
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| 03/23/05 | 1500 | 2.6 | 0:20:25 | -11.3% | 7.6 | -73 ft/min, -4408 ft/hr |
N. Summit |
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| 05/12/04 | 1500 | 2.6 | 0:21:30 | -11.3% | 7.0 | -70 ft/min, -4186 ft/hr |
N. Summit |
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| Arthurs Rock | 07/04/06 | 1140 | 1.7 | 0:12:01 | -12.8% | 8.5 | -95 ft/min, -5692 ft/hr | Top of Arthurs Rock (true summit) to parking lot edge. Summit -> bottom of technical part: 0:00:39. Summit -> Overlook junction (about 600 feet of descent?): 0:04:38 |
| 05/04/03 | 1140 | 1.7 | 0:17:06 | -12.8% | 6.0 | -67 ft/min, -4000 ft/hr | Top of Arthurs Rock (east summit) to trailhead | |
| Towers Road | 06/17/07 | 1730 | 3.4 | 0:18:20 | -9.0% | 5:21 | -94 ft/min, -5662 ft/hr | FCTR Time Trial with Dan Turk, Eric Sigler, and Jotham Matabi. From corner of building at top of Towers hill down to Soderberg Ranch Trailhead |
| 06/14/07 | 1730 | 3.4 | 0:18:55 | -9.0% | 10.8 | -91 ft/min, -5487 ft/hr | From corner of building at top of Towers hill down to Soderberg Ranch Trailhead | |
| 06/14/05 | 1730 | 3.4 | 0:21:44 | -9.0% | 9.4 | -80 ft/min, -4776 ft/hr | From picnic bench at top of Towers hill down to Soderberg Ranch Trailhead | |
| Horsetooth Rock (S) | 09/01/05 | 1500 | 2.51 | 0:17:14 | -11.1% | 9.7 | -87 ft/min, -5222 ft/hr |
Top of S. Summit to gate via service road |
| Round/Sheep Mountain | 07/28/06 | 2900 | 4.6 | 0:37:18 | -12.0% | 8:17 | -78 ft/min, -4665 ft/hr | Round/Sheep Mountain Trailhead |
| 06/30/05 | 2900 | 4.6 | 0:38:34 | -12.0% | 7.0 | -75 ft/min, -4512 ft/hr | ||
| 04/09/05 | 2900 | 4.6 | 0:42:42 | -12.0% | 6.3 | -68 ft/min, -4075 ft/hr | ||
| Handies | 09/01/02 | 2800 | 3.0 | 0:38:00 | -18.0% | 4.7 | -74 ft/min, -4421 ft/hr | Top of Handies back to car (0.4 mi below American Basin Trailhead, 28.10 West Slopes I, Class 2) |
| Pikes Peak | 08/20/06 | 7765 | 12.9 | 1:53:09 | -11.5% | 8:46 | -70 ft/min, -4189 ft/hr |
2006 Pikes Peak Marathon, descent portion |
| 07/30/06 | 7765 | 12.9 | 1:54:31 | -11.5% | 8:36 | -69 ft/min, -4139 ft/hr |
Pikes Peak Marathon training run, descent portion |
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| 08/21/05 | 7765 | 12.9 | 1:57:20 | -11.5% | 9:06 | -67 ft/min, -4040 ft/hr |
2005 Pikes Peak Marathon, descent portion |
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| 07/31/05 | 7765 | 12.9 | 2:09:20 | -11.5% | 6.0 | -59 ft/min, -3556 ft/hr | Pikes Peak Marathon training run, descent portion |
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| 08/17/03 | 7765 | 12.9 | 2:29:42 | -11.5% | 5.2 | -52 ft/min, -3112 ft/hr | 2003 Pikes Peak Marathon, descent portion |
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| Redcloud | 07/05/03 | 3650 | 4.3 | 0:56:00! | -16.3% | 4.6 | -65 ft/min, -3911 ft/hr | 28.1 Northeast Ridge II, Class 2 |
| 07/05/03 | 3650 | 4.3 | 0:56:00! | -16.3% | 4.6 | -65 ft/min, -3911 ft/hr | 28.1 Northeast Ridge II, Class 2 (includes about 10 min worth of stops) | |
| Flattop | 09/21/02 | 2799 | 4.4 | 0:45:00 | -12.1% | 5.9 | -62 ft/min, -3732 ft/hr | Flattop Trail from Bear Lake Trailhead |
| Greyrock | 07/22/04 | 2140 | 3.3 | 0:35:30 | -12.6% | 5.6 | -60 ft/min, -3617 ft/hr | Grey Rock Trail (short way) from Grey Rock Trailhead |
| Mount Elbert | 08/04/01 | 4383 | 4.5 | 1:15:00 | -18.8% | 3.6 | -58 ft/min, -3506 ft/hr | 10.1 Northeast Ridge II, Class 1 |
| Longs Peak | 07/23/06 | 5000 | 7.5 | 1:33:41 | -12.7% | 12:29 | -53 ft/min, -3202 ft/hr | 1.1 Keyhole II, Class 3 |
| old PR | 08/12/01 | 5000 | 7.5 | 2:45:00 | -12.7% | 2.7 | -30 ft/min, -1818 ft/hr | |
! This time includes about 10 minutes worth of breaks waiting for a friend. If I had run straight down in 0:46:00, my speed would have averaged 5.6 mph and my descent rate would have been 79 ft/min or 4761 ft/hr.
Distances either taken from maps, guidebooks, GPS, or estimated from mapping software. Elevation loss taken from either map or altimeter watch.
Peak |
Date |
Elevation Loss (ft) |
Distance Down (mi) |
Time down |
Average Grade (rise/run) |
Pace Down (min/mile) |
Descent Rate (ft/min) and (ft/hr) |
Trailhead/Route |
| Bear Peak*2 | 11/05/00 | 750 | 0.35 | 0:6:30 | -44.4% | 3.2 | -115 ft/min, -6923 ft/hr | Top of Fern Canyon to N. Shanahan Trail |
| Bear Peak*3 | 08/25/02 | 920 | 0.45 | 0:8:50 | -42.0% | 3.1 | -104 ft/min, -6249 ft/hr | Top of Bear Peak to top of Fern Canyon |
| old PR | 11/05/00 | 900 | 0.45 | 0:11:00 | -42.0% | 2.5 | -82 ft/min, -4909 ft/hr | |
| Redcloud* | 07/05/03 | 1300 | unknown | 0:13:00 | steep | unknown | -100 ft/min, -6000 ft/hr | Top of Redcloud down to Saddle |
| Sneffels*scree | 07/04/03 | 1000 | unknown | 0:10:00 | steep | unknown | -100 ft/min, -6000 ft/hr | Top of saddle down to bottom of scree |
| Bear Peak*3+2! | 08/25/02 | 1650 | 0.85 | 0:17:00 | -39.5% | 3.0 | -97 ft/min, -5823 ft/hr | Top of Bear Peak to N. Shanahan Trail |
| Bear Peak*3+2 | 06/20/99 | 2000 | 1.00 | 0:22:00 | -40.9% | 2.7 | -86 ft/min, -5181 ft/hr | Top of Bear Peak to Mesa Trail |
| Massive*scree | 07/06/02 | 1000 | unknown | 0:12:00 | unknown | unknown | -83 ft/min, -5000 ft/hr | Descent of scree slope just below and west of summit |
| Longs*1 | 07/23/06 | 2150 | 3.5 | 0:27:00 | -11.7% | 7:43 | -80 ft/min, -4778 ft/hr | Chasm Junction to Ranger Station |
| old PR | 07/28/01 | 2150 | 3.5 | 0:33:00 | -11.7% | 9:26 | -65 ft/min, -3909 ft/hr | (only climbed to Chasm Lake this day) |
| Longs*2+1 | 07/23/06 | 3350 | 6.1 | 0:54:47 | -10.9% | 8:59 | -61 ft/min, -3669 ft/hr | Boulder Field to Ranger Station |
| old PR | 08/11/02 | 3350 | 6.1 | 1:20:00 | -10.9% | 13:07 | -42 ft/min, -2513 ft/hr | |
| old PR | 08/12/01 | 3350 | 6.1 | 1:27:00 | -10.9% | 14:16 | -39 ft/min, -2310 ft/hr | |
| Longs*2 | 07/23/06 | 1200 | 2.6 | 0:27:47 | -8.8% | 10:41 | -43 ft/min, -2591 ft/hr | Boulder Field to Chasm Junction |
| Longs*3 | 07/23/06 | 1509 | 1.4 | 0:38:54 | -20.9% | 27:47 | -39 ft/min, -2328 ft/hr | Summit to Boulder Field |
| Towers Road*4 | 06/17/07 | 200 ft | 0.54 | 0:02:38 | From Towers to Mill Creek/Spring Creek Junction | |||
| 06/14/07 | 200 ft | 0.54 | 0:02:51 | |||||
| Towers Road*3 | 06/17/07 | 650 ft? | 1.01 | 0:05:26 | From Mill Creek/Spring Creek Junction to Herrington | |||
| old PR | 06/14/07 | 650 ft? | 1.01 | 0:05:39 | ||||
| old PR | 07/18/06 | 650 ft? | 1.01 | 0:06:23 | ||||
| old PR | 07/06/06 | 650 ft? | 1.01 | 0:06:45 | ||||
| Towers Road*2 | 07/25/06 | 850 ft? | 1.45 | 0:07:41 | Descent from Herrington Trail Junction to Soderberg Trail Junction | |||
| old PR | 07/18/06 | 850 ft? | 1.45 | 0:07:53 | ||||
| old PR | 07/06/06 | 850 ft? | 1.45 | 0:07:59 | ||||
| Towers Road *1 | 06/17/07 | 100 ft? | 0.43 | 0:02:32 | Soderberg/Towers Rd junction to Soderberg Trailhead | |||
| old PR | 06/14/07 | 100 ft? | 0.43 | 0:02:40 | ||||
| Towers Road*4+3+2 | 06/17/07 | 1630 ft? | 3.00 | 0:15:48 | Towers down to the Towers Rd/Soderberg trail junction. | |||
| old PR | 06/14/07 | 1630 ft? | 3.00 | 0:16:15 | ||||
| Towers Road*3+2 | 07/06/06 | 1500 ft? | 2.46 | 0:13:10 | Descent from Mill Creek/Spring Creek Junction to Soderberg Trail Junction | |||
| old PR | 07/06/06 | 1500 ft? | 2.46 | 0:14:15 | ||||
| old PR | 07/06/06 | 1500 ft? | 2.46 | 0:14:44 | ||||
| Towers Road*3+2+1 | 07/06/08 | 1600 ft? | 2.89 | 0:15:15 | Descent from Mill Creek/Spring Creek Junction to Soderberg Trailhead (coming down from the Towers) | |||
| old PR | 06/17/07 | 1600 ft? | 2.89 | 0:15:42 | ||||
| old PR | 06/14/07 | 1600 ft? | 2.89 | 0:16:04 | ||||
| old PR | 05/15/07 | 1600 ft? | 2.89 | 0:18:48 | ||||
| Arthurs Rock*3 | 07/04/06 | 100 ft? | 300 ft? | 0:00:39 | Descent from true summit to bottom of technical, rocky chute | |||
| Arthurs Rock*2 | 07/04/06 | 600 ft? | 0.6 | 0:03:59 | Descent from bottom of technical rocky chute to Overlook Trail Junction | |||
| Arthurs Rock*1 | 07/04/06 | 540 ft? | 1.1 | 0:07:23 | Descent from Overlook Trail Junction to trail register | |||
| Pikes *1 | ||||||||
| Pikes *2 |
! During this run, I stopped to wait for friends at the junction at the mount of Fern Canyon, a short way before the Mesa Trail. This cut off 200-250 feet of vertical and about 0.15 miles off of the segment.
Date |
Distance (mi) |
Time |
Pace (min/mile) |
Location, comments |
| 08/04/07 | 0.25 mile | 0:01:01 | 4:04 | First quarter mile of the Downhill Superior Mile - fastest pace according to GPS was 3:33! |
| 08/04/07 | 0.5 mile | 0:02:17 | 4:35 | GPS distance actually said 0.497 miles - down Centennial Drive - drop of about 200 feet. |
| 03/28/08 | 1 mile | 0:04:42 | 4:42 | GPS Split running down Centennial Drive in the middle of a 12-mile run (approximate elevation decrease was 430 feet). Tied on 07/06/08 on Towers Road (dirt/gravel surface with approximate elevation decrease of 602 feet). |
| 06/17/07 | 1 mile | 0:05:13 | 5:13 | GPS split running on the top mile of Towers Road (approximate elevation loss of 500 ft). |
| 05/08/06 | 1 mile | 0:05:21 | 5:21 | GPS split running on the lower portion of Towers Road (approximate elevation loss of 500 ft). Tied again on 07/25/06 and 09/26/06. |
| 09/01/05 | 1 mile | 0:05:34 | 5:34 | GPS split running down Audra Culver Service Road, Horsetooth Rock (approximate elevation loss of 500 feet) |
| 12/21/03 | 1 mile | 0:05:43 | 5:43 | GPS split running down paved road in Olean, NY (approximate elevation loss of 350 feet) |
| 07/06/08 | 2 miles | 0:10:02 | 5:01 | GPS split running down middle two miles of Towers Road (approximate elevation loss of 1083 feet), dirt/gravel surface. 5:20 for first mile, 4:42 for second mile. |
| 09/26/06 | 2 miles | 0:11:07 | 5:34 | GPS split running down the Audra Culver service road from Horsetooth Rock (approximate elevation loss of 1000 feet) |
| 06/08/06 | 2 miles | 0:12:12 | 6:06 | GPS split running on the lower portion of Towers Road (approximate elevation loss of 1000 feet) |
| 07/14/05 | 2 miles | 0:12:54 | 6:27 | GPS split running down lower portion of Towers Road |
| 06/23/05 | 2 miles | 0:13:09 | 6:35 | GPS split running down lower part of Towers Road |
| 08/08/04 | 2 miles | 0:13:30 | 6:45 | GPS split running down Audra Culver Service Road, Horsetooth Rock |
| 07/06/08 | 3 miles | 0:16:15 | 5:25 | GPS split running down down Towers Road from Mill Creek-Spring Creek junction to Soderberg Trailhead (plus about 60 sec extra to get the full 3.0 miles). |
| 07/18/06 | 3 miles | 0:19:24 | 6:28 | GPS split running down down Towers Road from Mill Creek-Spring Creek junction to Soderberg Trailhead (plus about 30 sec extra to get the full 3.0 miles). I have probably run this faster - on 06/15/05 I averaged 6:24 pace for the full Towers Road descent, which would give 19:12 for 3 miles. |
| 12/19/05 | 3 miles | 0:20:21 | 6:47 | GPS split running down dirt road near Urumbamba, Peru (from 11,000 feet -> 10,000 feet!) |
| 06/23/05 | 3 miles | 0:20:31 | 6:50 | GPS split running down Towers Road |
| 07/18/06 | 6 miles | 0:41:02 | 6:50 | 2007 Barr Trail Mountain Race (downhill split, 3600 feet of descent). Descent rate averaged -88 ft/min, -5264 ft/hr. |
| 07/18/06 | 6 miles | 0:44:28 | 7:25 | 2006 Barr Trail Mountain Race (downhill split, 3600 feet of descent). Descent rate averaged -81 ft/min, -4858 ft/hr. |
| 08/05/06 | 7 miles | 0:42:31 | 6:04 | Coming down the bottom 7 miles of Old Fall River Road, Rocky Mountain National Park. |
I'm starting to realize that my knee cartilage might be a finite quantity. I have no chronic knee problems as yet - in fact, I think my knees are in better shape than ever. But for 2006, I plan to try to go easy on my body. That doesn't mean I won't be running downhill fast -- indeed, I expect with improved fitness, I may put in some very good downhill runs. But I will be focusing more on safety and being nice to my body. I hope to break the downhill FKT for several local peaks and put in a sub 2-h descent in the Pikes Peak Marathon this year.
There are not any world records for fastest descents that I know of, but various trail races do keep course records and often report the downhill split, so I've compiled a list of 'record' descents for given courses.
According to an archive story from the NYTimes (April 4, 1982), the (unofficial) world record at the time for the fastest downhill mile is held by American Steve Scott who ran a timed mile of 3:32.25 in a mile race down the main street of Auckland, NZ. The course dropped 200 feet over that distance. Mike Hillardt of Australia took 2nd with 3:32.25 and Ray Lynn of Ireland third in 3:32.75.
Superior, CO has a downhill mile race - the course record of 3:51 was set in the 2006 race by Jason Lunn (Longmont, CO). That course drops 180 feet over the mile distance.
I'm preparing another page with some links on downhill mile "records" and downhill mile races. Apparently, the fastest downhill mile ever run was 3:24 by a 16-year old kid in the Meltham Maniac Mile near Yorkshire in the United Kingdom.
The descent portion of the course starts at the top of Pikes Peak (after the brutal ascent) and follows the Barr Mountain Trail down to Manitou Springs. The last 1.25 miles of the route follows paved roads into Manitou Springs. The downhill portion of the course has the following characteristics:
total descent distance: 12.89 miles
average grade: -11.5%
total elevation gain: -7815 ft
vertical change: -7750 ft
Here are the three fastest descent splits from the Pikes Peak Marathon races held over the years:
Person |
Year of Race |
Place of residence at time of race |
Age on race day |
Descent split |
Pace Down (min/mile) |
Descent Rate (ft/min) and (ft/hr) |
| Matt Carpenter | 1993 | Colorado Springs, CO | 29 | 1:15:33 | 5:52 | -103.4 ft/min, -6206 ft/hr |
| Creighton King | 1983 | Alta, UT | 29 | 1:15:46 | 5:53 | -103.1 ft/min, -6189 ft/hr |
| Nicholas Zumas | 1991 | Kempton, PA | 43 | 1:16:19 | 5:55 | -102.4 ft/min, -6144 ft/hr |
Some more comments on downhill running techniques and the top-10 descent splits are discussed in the Pikes Peak Forum under the topic 'training and racing' and subtopic 'downhill techniques'.
The descent portion of the course starts at Barr Camp (after a tough ascent) and follows the Barr Mountain Trail down to the finish line at the Cog Railway depot. The downhill portion of the course has the following characteristics:
total descent distance: 6.0 miles
average grade: -11.3%
total elevation gain: -3630 ft
vertical change: 10,200 ft to 6570 ft (but the race finishes up a hill at 6650 ft)
Here are the three fastest descent splits from the Pikes Peak Marathon races held over the years:
Person |
Year of Race |
Place of residence at time of race |
Age on race day |
Descent split |
Pace Down (min/mile) |
Descent Rate (ft/min) and (ft/hr) |
| Bernie Boettcher | 2003 | Silt, CO | 40 | 0:33:30 | 5:35 | -108.4 ft/min, -6501 ft/hr |
| Paul Low | 2003 | Manitou Springs, CO | 29 | 0:33:34 | 5:36 | -108.1 ft/min, -6489 ft/hr |
| Scott Gall | 2001 | Manitou Springs, CO | 27 | 0:33:37 | 5:36 | -108.0 ft/min, -6479 ft/hr |
A previous record for Longs Peak (by any route) was set by Roger Briggs on August 12, 1971. He ascended in 1:25:10 and descended in 0:44:30 for a total time of 2:09:40. His ascent and descent rates were +56.9 ft/min and -109.0 ft/min, respectively.
Then, on July 26, 1979, Chris Revely set the record for quickest ascent and descent of Longs Peak from the Longs Peak Ranger Station. He took an old ranger trail (for maintaining a telephone line that went up to the Boulder Field - this line is now gone and the trail is overgrown). He probably went up a stream drainage up past Chasm Lake, then followed the Camel Route and then the Cable Route to the top. Since the lower shortcut trails are now overgrown and the Cable is gone (making the North Face a technical climbing route), this time will probably be very hard to beat in the future. I think the total vertical rise for this route is about 4850 feet! The descent was probably the reverse. Here are his times:
Ascent 1:23:00 (+58.4 ft/min)
Descent 0:41:30 (-116.9 ft/min)
Round trip 2:04:30
Both of Roger Briggs and Chris Revely's descents records are spectacular examples of extreme downhill running!
As a footnote, in 1982, Mike Sullivan set a new ascent record (Cable Route) of 1:18:31 (+61.8 ft/min).
My source for both of these records is the ranger at the Longs Peak Ranger Station, who apparently keep a book of records or record attempts. For more Longs Peak times, see Bill Wright's Long Peak FKT page.
There are rumors that someone has run down the Cog Railway line in less than 50 minutes (source; also, Jim Heidelberg, a top-5 finisher in the Pikes Peak Marathon, has reported running down in 55 min!). The Cog Railway descends 7400 ft in 8.9 miles. Assuming the 50 min time, this person would have had to averaged at least 10.55 mph. The descent rate would be -8800 ft/hr, or -148 ft/min! The average grade is -15.8%. This doesn't sound very steep, but keep in mind that there isn't exactly a good running surface -- rails, with about 6" of semi-smooth dirt on each side. Sounds like a recipe for a trip to the emergency room.
The Incline Club (a training club in Colorado Springs) has a page about the Manitou Springs Incline (which is not open to public use). The Incline now consists of the old road bed of a cable car. It is 1.02 miles long and rises 2011 feet from the base to the top at an average grade of 40.3%. The steepest grade is a whopping 68%!
Matt Carpenter reports that he witnessed Jambu Sherpa run down the incline in 9:45-9:55! Assuming (for purposes of calculation) that his time was 9:50, Jambu's descent rate was a spectacular -12,271 ft/hr, or nearly -205 ft/min! At this descent rate, Jambu could run down most mountains in the world in under an hour!
Article from Outside -- Downhill Bracer
Article on downhill running from the Australian Mountain Running Association
Article from American Fitness: A Sore Subject - muscle soreness
Article from health.iafrica.com about delayed onset muscle soreness
Pikes Peak Forum section on Downhill Running
Some discussion on downhill running from runners who do Ultras
Article from the Chicago Athlete about Jump Rope training The the plyometric nature of jump roping can be very useful for downhill running.
General article about Running Form -- The Long Run
New Zealand Downhill Running Championships
Abstract for article on energy costs of uphill and downhill running
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