Matthew Edwin Carpenter (born July 20, 1964)"Matt Carpenter, Club Member Since 9/10/1997"
Incline Club members' list
Skyrunner.com is an American

Ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...

er as a trail runner and in

high altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

Early life

Carpenter was born in North Carolina, before moving to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and then

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

while in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. He took up running while living there, because he had "nothing else to do". Over time it became a way to fund his college education, and subsequently an escape from bereavement in the period following the death of his mother. As a student at

the University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

he frequently visited

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, and moved there after graduation, first to

Vail Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numero ...

in 1987, then to

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

four years later, before settling in

Manitou Springs Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to travelers ...

in 1998.

Physiology

Carpenter stands at and weighs . In 1990, his VO₂ max, a measure of the body's ability to intake oxygen, was calculated to be 90.2 during tests at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, the highest they had recorded."The power to vanish; High-altitude runner Matt Carpenter leaves foes gasping for breath"
Brian Metzler, ''

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As ...

'', May 29, 2007 This, and his rigorous training regime—he claims to have run daily for over five years between 1997 and his daughter's birth in 2002—are credited as the keys to his enduring success.

Endorsement & dominance

After signing with

Fila Fila Holdings Corp. is a sportswear brand of shoes and apparel. The company was founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Piedmont, Italy. In 2003, it was sold to United States-based Sports Brand International. Sub ...

Skyrunners in 1993, he won either thirteen"Climb Every Mountain"
, SWE Region I Conference - Colorado Track or fifteen of the seventeen high altitude marathons he entered, setting records at both (with a time of 2:52:57) and (a time of 3:22:25).
, Brian Metzler, ''

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in E ...

'', May 23, 2007 Later in his career he moved to ultrarunning, and sustained his previous success, setting course records in the San Juan Solstice 50-mile race in

Lake City, Colorado Lake City is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory town, Statutory Town that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only List of municipalities in Colorado, incorporated municipality in Hinsdale County, Colorado, Hinsda ...

in 2004, and breaking the record for the

Leadville Trail 100 The Leadville Trail 100 Run (aka The Race Across The Sky or the LT100) is an ultramarathon held annually on rugged trails and dirt roads near Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. First run in 1983, the race course climb ...

race in 2005 by over an hour and a half."Local legend Matt Carpenter talks races, routes and reasons why"
, Kirk Woundy, ''Colorado Springs Independent'', May 18, 2006 Carpenter has won the

Pikes Peak Marathon The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon is a trail running competition that begins at the base of Pikes Peak, in Manitou Springs, Colorado, and climbs over 7,815 feet (2382 m) to the top of the 14,115 foot (4302 m) peak. Since 1956, the event takes p ...

on twelve occasions, the

Hill Climb eight times, the

Imogene Pass Imogene Pass is a high mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains in the southwest part of the US state of Colorado. It crosses a ridge connecting Ouray, Colorado with Telluride, Colorado, and is the highest mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains ...

Run six times, the

Barr Trail Barr Trail is a trail in the Pike National Forest that begins in Manitou Springs, Colorado and ends at the Pikes Peak summit. The high elevation trail with a long sustained grade is rated more difficult by the U.S. Forest Service. With a elevat ...

Mountain Race,

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heigh ...

SkyMarathon Tibet, and

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

SkyMarathon five times each, and holds the course record for all of these events. He is also the record holder for running the fastest flat

s run at altitude at both 14,000 and 17,000 feet. His success in the sport has been so extensive and dominant that he has been compared to

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong (''né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 Tour de ...

,"The Legendary Matt Carpenter"
Carey Cuprisin, Cuivienen.org blog, August 23, 2005 and described as "one of the greatest mountain runners of all time"."High-altitude runner Matt Carpenter leaves foes gasping for breath"
Trailrunningblog.com, May 29, 2007 Carpenter's greatest dominance has been on

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The Ultra-prominent peak, ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest ...

. He has won eighteen races; six ascents and twelve marathons, including an unprecedented double, winning both on consecutive days in 2001. On the ascent he holds the age group record for both 40- to 44-year-olds, and 25- to 29-year-olds, the latter the outright record with a time of 2:01:06, set during the 1993 marathon. In the marathon itself, he holds the record for the 20- to 24-, 25- to 29-, 35- to 39- and 40- to 44-year-old age groups, as well as the outright fastest time of 3:16:39, also in 1993.Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon Age-Group and Course Records
Skyrunner.com In October 2013, Carpenter was the first distance runner inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame.
, Brent Briggeman, ''Colorado Springs Gazette'', April 16, 2013Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame

Later life

He currently lives with his

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian-born wife Yvonne and their daughter Kyla, born in 2002. The couple are both members of the Incline Club, their local trail-running group, and are so dedicated to their sport that their wedding was held during a Sunday morning training run along the Waldo Canyon Trail in February 2000."Waldo Canyon Wedding; Couple dashes to say 'I do'"
Deb Acord, ''

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

'', February 21, 2000 Since 2012, Carpenter and his wife own and operate the Colorado Custard Company, a small shop in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Matt 1964 births Living people American male ultramarathon runners Sportspeople from Asheville, North Carolina University of Southern Mississippi alumni People from Manitou Springs, Colorado American sky runners World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships winners