At Pikes Peak’s summit at 2 a.m., wind rocked vehicles for hours. Attempting to exit a car resulted in doors opening faster than expected and material inside flying outside and decorating the mountain’s landscape as wind at the summit reached 80-100 miles per hour Sunday.

The gusts never relented as the sun rose. To those atop the mountain, it was no surprise when the delays began to roll in and made it clear that Sunday wouldn’t be normal race day.

About 14 minutes before the original 7:30 a.m. start time of the 103rd Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, the news rolled in. The race was moved to 8 a.m.

Then more changes: another 30-minute delay, then 9, then 9:15 before officials finally declared 9:45 a.m. was the official start time.

At 9:20 a.m. via a post on X, the PPIHC’s page revealed the new finish line: Glen Cove. That would trim the 12.42-mile race by more than 60%.

“(Sunday) was just one of those days that Pikes Peak was not having it,” said Josh Hildenbrand, PPIHC content manager. “You’re on a mountain so it’s difficult. You had to think of all the personnel and getting everyone into place including race officials, the media and keeping it safe for spectators. It was a bit of adjusting, but we did what we could to make sure the racers got up safely.”

As eventgoers and reporters at the summit ventured to their cars while fighting to remain upright, most of the details on social media remained nebulous due to poor cell service on the mountain.

A caravan of vehicles ventured down Pikes Peak around 8:30 a.m. and eventually arrived at Devil’s Playground, where spectators seemingly had little information regarding the move. Most remained scattered on the hill above the parking lot with no signs of leaving.

“It was lots of chaos,” said Chris Bachelor, a spectator who traveled from Kansas and arrived at Devil’s Playground at 2 a.m. “It was frustrating. They told us one thing and then told us another, and then something different, it wasn’t very coordinated. At one point they told us we would be up there all day and wouldn’t be able to see the race.

“They told us later we could park on the road and then walk down, but then people were parking in the middle of the road and the emergency vehicles had to get through … it was a disaster.”

Kathryn Mead, a six-year PPIHC veteran, said it was hard to prepare for the race during delays because competitors didn’t know where they’d finish. But Meade said as time passed, she understood the officials’ decisions.

“They had to reorganize everything — everything — to finish down here,” Mead said. “It was tough but, hey, that’s Pikes Peak.”

Going downhill, cars stopped as officials requested drivers and spectators use both lanes as a makeshift parking lot and continue the trek toward the new finish line — which was about a seven-minute walk.

While attendees set up in their new location to enjoy the race, competitors needed to remain motivated despite the changes.

In her rookie season, Katherine Legge clocked in at 10 minutes, 51.359 seconds, just shy of the front-wheel drive record of 10:48.094 set in 2018 by Nick Robinson in the Acura TLX.

Legge hoped to break the record this year, but, due to the weather and changes, will have to put that goal on hiatus until next season.

“I was gutted, but there’s nothing you can do about Mother Nature,” Legge said. “I’m gutted because we weren’t really racing anybody, we were going for the record. These guys who were racing still have a target to beat.”

Although those above Glen Cove couldn’t see much racing, the situation provided a unique opportunity for fans to interact with drivers and even take pictures.

Jenifer Thomas, who came with Bachelor to see the race for the first time, said it wasn’t what she expected, but added that the atmosphere was still fun and racers did a great job of helping the fans’ experience.

“It would be nice to see some actual racing, but it is what it is,” Thomas said. “We can’t change it, we just have to make do with what we have.”

That’s the sentiment Mead shared as she’s had to re-adjust for a shorter race during her Hill Climb career. In three of her six races, the finish line moved from the summit. But Glen Clove, Meade said, is the shortest distance she recalls for the event.

“It felt like a 100-meter dash rather than a 5-kilometer race, but it is what it is,” Meade said. “This is Pikes Peak and you have to accept it.”

In his nine years as the Hill Climb’s content manager, Hildenbrand also said he’s seen the finish line moved, but never to Glen Cove.

According to the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb’s results page, since 2000, officials have moved the finish line three times with Sunday being the fourth instance.

“I haven’t experienced it going all the way to Glen Cove,” Hildenbrand said. “In 2021, we had a shortened course because the whole top section was covered in ice. That year we went back to Devil’s Playground.”

Some drivers called it a “bummer” while others understood the nuance of the situation. Others hope to return and race the mountain in its entirety.

“You always have motivation to push it 100 percent because you get to push a racecar,” Legge said. “There’s no lack of motivation. Every time I get on this hill I give it 110 percent. We want that record and that means we have to be back at some point.”