UPDATE: Received an email response that the change was a typo! Cutoff for Ascent summit is still 6 hours 30 minutes.
First-timer and flat-lander here. I've been training hard and hitting my targets, and am eager to join everyone for the race next week.
However, I was a little surprised by the email yesterday that indicated the cutoff time for the Ascent was 6 hours 15 minutes. On the website it's shown to be 6 hours and 30 minutes (and was the cutoff last year).
If that's the case, and additional 75 runners (a little over 4% of Ascent runners) last year would have been Over the Cuffoff (OCO) with the new cutoff!
I'm not a naturally strong runner, but I've trained hard, and a 15 minute difference is a huge change (as proven by how many would have been OCO in last year's race).
I wasn't training to simply beat the cutoffs, but as a flat-lander, I also realized that the altitude was a variable I couldn't control, and the cutoff times were definitely something I was keeping close in mind.
So, was this change announced prior to the email? Honestly, it seems a little unfair to those who have been training with the idea that the cutoff would be 6 hours, 30 minutes.