There鈥檚 a little-known addendum to Newton鈥檚 law of gravity: what goes up, must come down and eat a lot of calories. And , the six-time world-champion trail听runner, does exactly that when he gets off the mountain.
Gray has lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, home of the Olympic Training Center and the nearby Manitou Springs Incline (where he holds the fastest known time), since 2014. It鈥檚 a perfect fit for him. He grew up听a self-proclaimed military brat, and several military bases and the U.S. Air Force Academy are located here, which he says makes it feel like home. Plus, there are plenty of nearby peaks to bag and, thanks to听, it鈥檚 suddenly rife with breweries, artisanal bakeries, and places to get exceptional doughnuts.
He鈥檚 very much here for all of that鈥攁nd some pizza and maybe a burrito, too. 鈥淚 can eat a lot of pizza,鈥 he says, adding that he鈥檚 put away two large ones听in a听sitting after a particularly hard workout. Which is why we trust Gray鈥檚 food recommendations for Colorado Springs. While some athletes will point you toward听a stash of stale energy bars when you ask what听they like to eat, Gray isn鈥檛 shy about his love for calorie-saturated fare.
Even better,听he loves to cook and has eaten his way around the world both as a military brat and a professional athlete. 鈥淚 feel like people who are picky don鈥檛 get the best experience,鈥 he says about noshing听on the road. His philosophy is simple: in Norway you have to try the lutefisk, and if you鈥檙e in Scotland, you鈥檙e missing out if you don鈥檛 sample the haggis.
There鈥檚 no lutefisk or haggis听on this list. But Gray did give us a bunch of great options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Colorado Springs. Consider your next trip planned.
Start Your Day with Some Sweat
There's a lot to do outside here. Gray鈥檚 pick is听, the pathway up to Pike鈥檚 Peak. You can do as much or as little of the out-and-back as you like, but听the trail is about 10.5 miles each way, and the last miles听of the ascent听are very rugged. Gray describes it as 鈥渘ot that bad,鈥 but keep in mind听the source and plan accordingly. (It is not recommended that mortals attempt the whole thing in one day, FYI.)
Next Stop: Burritos
Gray likes hitting Barr Trail because it鈥檚 close to . 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a dive, but they have amazing breakfast burritos,鈥 he says. His go-to听filling听is the pollo asado. He loads up his roll of goodness with hot sauce, salsa, and hot peppers. 鈥淚 love hot stuff.听They probably hate it when I come, because I clean out their pepper bar.鈥
Coffee鈥擨f You Need It
Gray isn鈥檛 a coffee drinker, so he didn鈥檛 have a recommendation. His go-to is the chai his Kenyan teammates sometimes bring to workouts. Since you may not have that option, our recommendation is听. The caf茅 is next to a site where it听does all its听own roasting, using beans from small, sustainable farms.
This Is Olympic City USA
When Gray has guests, touring the 35-acre听 is always on his list of things to do. You can walk through the Hall of Fame rotunda, see the weight-lifting and aquatic centers, and basically bask in the glow of America鈥檚 Olympians. The tour听runs every hour on the hour.听听
Win the Eating Olympics
As we alluded to before, Gray has quite an appetite. His two lunch spots? First:听, a local chain where the patties are made from Colorado beef, then topped with all kinds of gluttonous things. Gray鈥檚 order is the Luther, a cardiologist鈥檚 worst nightmare, with bacon, cheddar, an egg, and a patty stacked between two glazed donuts.
鈥淚f I鈥檝e had a total bonkfest, I head to听,鈥 a Chicago-style听joint. Gray feels that Chicago-style pizza is the best pizza. While听we won鈥檛听confirm or deny that statement, we will admit that cheese, sauce, and bread in any combo is good in our book. Gray says he鈥檒l eat literally anything his friends order on his pizza, though he has a particular fondness for the Hawaiian.
Doughnuts on Pikes Peak
If you鈥檙e not in a food coma, there鈥檚 a doughnut听shop at the summit of Pike鈥檚 Peak. Because they鈥檙e being made听at 14,000 feet, these doughnuts听have a slightly different, coarser听texture than a typical doughnut. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the best doughnut, but when I鈥檓 running, if I鈥檓 doing Pikes Peak, I always carry money with me, because it鈥檚 hard to smell them and not get one,鈥 he says. And: they鈥檙e famous. You basically have to try them.
Hit the Old Colorado City Farmers鈥 Market
If you鈥檙e in town on a summer weekend, strolling the booths is a fun way to pass a morning. Gray says that if you鈥檙e especially lucky, you may hit the market during green-chile season. 鈥淓veryone thinks of New Mexico as being the place for green chiles, but they鈥檙e a big deal here, too,鈥 he says. Watch vendors roasting them and selling them by the bushel, then look out for someone hawking enchiladas topped with green-chile sauce or stuffed roasted chiles.
Head Toward听Dinner
If you can handle any more food at this point, Gray suggests听. He spent a significant part of his childhood living in Germany, and this restaurant holds up to his memories of what a proper German restaurant should be. He听always orders 箩盲驳别谤蝉肠丑苍颈迟锄别濒. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pork cutlet with rich mushroom sauce, served with sp盲tzle, which is like a fresh noodle,鈥 he explains.
End Your Day
Gray prefers to sip whiskey at home at the end of a long day, but since he can鈥檛 invite all of our readers over, we鈥檙e sending you out to a couple of Colorado Springs鈥 best watering holes. The first is the听, a distillery with a very hip bar attached to it. Its听spirit options are expansive, and the cocktails are worth the splurge, at $10 each. Beer lovers should pop听over to听, a recently opened brewery and taproom. The space, which was founded by a couple of long-distance runners and outdoors lovers, is friendly to pups and runners, so it鈥檚 perfect for the 国产吃瓜黑料 crew.听