Alex Nichols, a 2008 Colorado College graduate and currently an assistant cross country and track coach at the school, won the Pikes Peak Marathon for the second consecutive year Sunday in Colorado Springs.
              
Final 2016 Pikes Peak Marathon Results

Nichols finished the race in a time of 3 hours, 40 minutes and 29 seconds, more than six minutes faster than his winning time last year. He had previously finished second in the race in both 2012 and '13.
 
"This year's race was one of the hardest fought races I've ever won but that made crossing the line in the lead even more meaningful," Nichols said. "I am extremely happy to retain the title for another year and represent Colorado College on the mountain." 
 
Nichols trailed Azerya Weldemariam by three minutes and 11 seconds at the summit, but made up that time on the way down and defeated Weldemarium by more than two minutes.
 
As a Tiger, Nichols won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference cross country title in 2007 and capped his career with a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships the same year. He joined the CC coaching staff in 2012.
 
Nichols and the CC cross country teams open their 2016 season on Friday, Sept. 2, at the UCCS "Rust Buster" meet at Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs.