Vicki Rae Snider walks up the Manitou Incline early Thurday morning about 7:00 am as the sun rises on Colorado Springs. She says she likes to walk the old incline rail timbers once or twice a week if she can, just to stay in shape. Like others that make the hike she is respectful of the private land, picking up litter and rocks on the path. She counted about 2300 steps to the top of Mount Manitou. photo by Carol Lawrence 9/25/03 (Carol Lawrence)
Mark Fretta’s record time dropped from a phenomenal 20 minutes to an absolutely astounding 16 minutes, 42 seconds ÔÇö the unofficial record. Here are six steps he shared with us to help you cut your Incline time.If this is your first time doing the Incline we recommend checking out this list.For more Gazette lists, check out our lists page
Vicki Rae Snider walks up the Manitou Incline early Thurday morning about 7:00 am as the sun rises on Colorado Springs. She says she likes to walk the old incline rail timbers once or twice a week if she can, just to stay in shape. Like others that make the hike she is respectful of the private land, picking up litter and rocks on the path. She counted about 2300 steps to the top of Mount Manitou. photo by Carol Lawrence 9/25/03 (The Gazette)Tip 4 – Push the “flats” The Incline is all uphill, but some parts are a bit less uphill than others. Pushing your pace on these flat areas will shave off more seconds than pushing on the steeps. Just make sure you don’t push so hard that you can’t recover. (The Gazette)Tip 3 – Hold steady Steady wins the race. Pick a pace that will allow you to climb at almost the same speed at the end as at the start. (The Gazette)Tip 5 – Intervals Pick a section of the Incline with an average grade — or any steep hill or set of stairs. Run/walk hard for one minute. Then rest a minute. Repeat 15 times. Set your pace so that your final interval is as fast as your first. For best results, do this workout once a week. Do this only after you can climb the Incline without stopping. (OutThere Colorado)Tip 6 – Strength Beef up your quads and calves by doing 20-second intervals up the Incline, taking two stairs in each stride. Repeat five to 10 times. You can add this short workout to the end of any Incline visit. If your back hurts on the Incline, it likely means weak abdominal muscles. Regular sit-ups and crunches should ease the pain. (The Gazette)The city of Manitou Springs announced Thursday afternoon that starting Friday, December 2, 2016, vehicles in the lot at the base of Barr Trail will need to have a reserved spot. (Photo by Bryan Oller, The Gazette) (The Gazette)
