Colorado woman smashes Manitou Springs’ “Inclinathon” record by over 4 hours

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.

Those official times can be viewed here, where they are recorded by those in the hiking community using the website FastestKnownTime.com, and the outdoor activities based app Strava.

"For her to do what she did that day is just... it's incredible, it's incredible, and I found myself being inspired to be like, 'Oh, right, keep pushing hard.'" said Gardner.

Despite being a Colorado native growing up north of Denver, it was the first time Ton had actually tried the Incline.

"I just wanted like a big training day with a lot of vertical elevation gain and the Incline seemed like a good place to do it." explained Ton, who said she did not arrive with the intent of breaking any records.

"The first four laps I did pretty quickly, maintaining a 45 minute pace up and down." Ton added, before saying her pace slowed down for the long haul.

Except, that effort turned into a record breaking attempt, lasting her from sunrise, to past sunset.

"I think at that point, I honestly just wanted to sit down and nap." said Ton after she finished the 13th lap.

Ton says the support she received throughout the day from fellow Incliners noticing her day long endeavor was tremendous.

"On my first lap when I met Tracy and Fred, and some other frequent Incliners... they were super supportive throughout the the rest of the day, you know, cheering and encouraging me on. So I think that definitely helped." said Ton about her Inclinathon run.

On Friday many of those same faces returned to the Incline's base, including Gardner, to share in a celebration with Ton who came back down to Manitou Springs.

It was there they presented her a 3D printed trophy of the Incline, with her name and record time inscribed on the side of it. A keepsake for the historic day they were all a part of, created by Marc Ellis of 3D Adventure Printing in Colorado Springs.

"Endurance events like these aren't always the most comfortable and pleasurable in the moment,  but afterwards it's very rewarding." said Ton on her lifestyle. "What attracts me to it is like exploration, both of like natural spaces as well as exploration of like my personal limits. And I just like challenging myself." she added.

Ton says she thinks she could get an Inclinathon time under 11 hours, and Gardner seems to think she could beat his record eventually too. But Ton was quick to shoot that down, explaining that shaving off an hour of time to those 13 laps, is a lot easier said than done.

Now she turns her focus to an 18,000 foot volcano she intends to climb next month.

"I am not the best at taking rest days. I just love being outdoors." said Ton.