Mother and Daughter Take on Arduous Pikes Peak Marathon

Sunday morning, Tonya and Valerie Prescott will wake up at dawn, put on matching shorts and T-shirts and take off on a special, all-day, mother-daughter jaunt.

A day of shopping?

A walk in the park?

Not quite.

The mother and daughter from Laguna Hills will set out to conquer the Pikes Peak Marathon, a brutal run up--and down--the famous mountain peak in Manitou Springs, Colo.

The race begins at the base of Pikes Peak (elevation 6,280 feet) and climbs along rugged, rocky trails to the summit, elevation 14,110.

Of course, the summit is only the halfway point.

“We figure once we get to the top we can just roll ourselves into a ball and roll down the mountain,” Tonya said.

Between start and finish, runners might encounterrattlesnakes, rock slides and harsh weather. In the past, runners have suffered from altitude sickness, heat exhaustion and hypothermia.

“We get a lot of twisted ankles, but our most common injuries are bee stings and blisters,” said Nancy Hobbs, race director. “We’ve never had any deaths, though.”

What a comfort.

Neither Tonya, 42, nor Valerie, 22, planned to run Pikes Peak a year ago. Both had a different race in mind, the Western States Endurance Run. For those that think the Pikes Peak sounds bad, well . . .

The Western States is a 100-mile California trail race that starts in Squaw Valley and finishes in Auburn. The temperature along the course can range from below zero to above 100 degrees.

For most entrants, running the Western States 100 means trying to finish in less than 24 hours. But last year, the Prescotts competed in a three-day version of the race in which runners run all day and camp each night along the steep and rocky trail.

That version of the race was canceled this year and the Prescotts went looking for another challenge. They heard about Pikes Peak.

“It sounded good to us,” Tonya said.

Perhaps they also heard that while Pikes Peak is a very serious challenge, especially with its high altitude, it doesn’t compare with the Western States.

“(Western States) was very, very hot, but the main thing was how sore you were after the first day,” Tonya said. “And the blisters! You’ve never seen blisters like these! When I came home I went to get a pedicure and the gal just about passed out. These were gnarly blisters.”

When they’re not running together, Tonya and Valerie are partners in another field--law. Tonya is an attorney and her daughter, who plans to enter law school next year, is her legal assistant. They work together everyday in Tonya’s office in Orange, and after particularly stress-ridden days, do aerobics together at night.

Tonya began running in 1977 and has completed more than 40 marathons. Valerie, who graduated from UCLA in June with a degree in kinesiology, didn’t start running until three years ago, but she has become the faster of the two. Tonya, both agree, has better endurance.

Does competition ever put a damper on their relationship?

“We try not to let it,” Tonya said.

“We’re very competitive,” Valerie said. “It can get real frustrating because I’m faster but she can outlast me. I’m better up hills, then she rips by me going downhill. When she does that, I’ll yell, ‘Don’t do that! Do you know what you’re doing to your hamstrings?’ I’m always yelling out kinesiology stuff to her (when she gets ahead).”

Add Pikes: According to race director Hobbs, the 34-year-old Pikes Peak Marathon is the third-oldest U.S. marathon after Boston and Yonkers, N.Y.

“It’s also the first marathon to officially allow women to compete,” said Hobbs, who also admits that the marathon, at 26.3 miles, is actually one-tenth of a mile too long.

But on a course like this, who’s counting?

An ascent-only version of the race will be offered Saturday. Runners will race to the top and be driven back down. Other Orange Country entrants include Chic Barber, 50, of Huntington Beach in the marathon and Katie Willey, 30, of Corona del Mar in the ascent.

Then there’s Susan Gimbel of Orange. Gimbel, 42, is not only entered in the marathon, but in Saturday’s ascent as well.

Ouch.

America’s Finest City Half-Marathon begins at 7 a.m. Sunday in San Diego.

Mexico’s Alejandro Cruz ,21, last year’s Chicago Marathon champion, leads the men’s invitational field, along with countrymen Martin Mondragon, the 1988 L.A. Marathon champion.

Orange County runners entered in the invitational portion of the race include Alfredo Vigueras of Santa Ana, Marcial Beltran of Fullerton and Marcho Ochoa and Albino Miranda, both of Anaheim.

The AFC half-marathon is a point-to-point race that starts at Cabrillo National Monument and finishes at Balboa Park.

Runners, take note: Because the first three miles of the course will be closed to all but official race vehicles, all entrants must travel to the race start in buses provided at Balboa Park (Park Boulevard at President’s Way). Buses begin leaving Balboa Park at 4:30 a.m., and the last bus will leave at 6.

Another reminder: There is no day-of-race registration. Late registration open Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina.

Race Results: Enrique Alvarez of Santa Ana won the 10-mile race at the Huntington Beach Distance Derby last Saturday at the Huntington Beach Pier. Stuart Calderwood of Laguna Beach was second (54:35) and Robert Bush Jr. was third (56:06).

Mareva Hayes, 25, won the women’s division in 1 hour 10 minutes. Teresa Ross, 48, was second in 1:15:13, and Cindy Lang, 40, was third (1:17:07).

Keith Dysert won the wheelchair division in 46:26.

In the three-mile race, Orange Coast College standout Chris Parmer of Huntington Beach won in 15:09. Tish Williams of Fullerton won the women’s race in 19:45.

Race Schedule:

Thursday: College of the Canyons 5K cross-country series. College of the Canyons, Valencia. 7 p.m. Very challenging cross-country course. For information, call (805) 944-2511.

Paramount Ranch Cross-Country two- and three-mile Gran Prix, 6:30 p.m., Paramount Ranch, Agoura. (818) 992-6219.

Saturday: Tetrick Trail Run, Griffith Park. Eight miles on hilly, dirt trails. Not recommended for beginning runners. Starts 7:30 a.m. at the pony rides in Griffith Park near Los Feliz Blvd. entrance.

Run for Jerry’s Kids 5 & 10K. Starts 8 a.m. at 2800 S. Reservoir St., Pomona. 627-6131.

Sunday: America’s Finest City Half Marathon, San Diego. 7 a.m. Point-to-point race starts at Cabrillo National Monument, finishes in Balboa Park.

McConnell’s Ice Cream 5 & 10K, Goleta Beach County Park, (near UC Santa Barbara), Goleta. 5K at 8:30, 10K at 9:15 a.m. (805) 963-7524.