Beautiful course, with lots of twists and turns in the roads - and don't forget the hills (mountains to us flat-landers). There is a "hill" about mile 3 to 4 that can really set the type of race you will have. The water stop with Larry the camel was nice; it gave me a change to really slow down and take a break. Bring sunscreen because you will likely need it. Most importantly, bring your own water. The biggest complaint I'd have is the water stops were too few and too far between. The first one was at mile 3 and the next one was about mile 6.5 so they were right at the extreme distance for a race. All of the folks were great and helpful. We had perfect weather for sunbathing, as it did get in the upper 70's low 80's during the race, and clear skies with no clouds at all (I was praying for clouds). I ended up with sunburn in places that haven't seen the sun all winter long.

While there are good things to say about the beautiful scenery... scenery is overrated when you are dehydrated and cannot stop thinking about if the next water station will be there or not! Everyone will say, "Bring your own water!" BUT when I pay good money to run a race, I expect water. A simple request.

Also, the RUMORS that this a downhill marathon have got to end. Though I know the elevation chart is accurate, this marathon is anything but downhill. Do not expect a fast time.

On a positive note, I did appreciate the cold towels at the finish line, and the spectators were great there too.

This was a great run but with one major flub-up: A missing water station meant running ~ 6 miles with no water. Everything I've read suggests once you get dehydrated, you're pretty much done for. And 6 the waterless miles plus warm weather at the end of the race seemed enough to do just that. The excuse given was that the aid station team "didn't show up." How about some sort of contingency planning... couldn't they have at least dropped off some self-service water and a stack of cups?

While the course is beautiful, spectators aren't to be expeceted (or really even necessary) on this remote and pristine course.

Steamboat is a great place where you'll see real ranchers mixed in with visitors. For a unique treat, drive up to the beautiful Strawberry Hot Springs facility (clothing optional after dark)... a great pre-race day relaxation treat. And, try Cuginos for great Italian food. Speaking of food, thank you to Subway for providing turkey subs at the finish!

Course was incredibly beautiful, while rather brutal. This was expected. The lack of an aid station between miles 3 and 10 was not! There was supposed to be an aid station at 6.5 miles. While not a dealbreaker, it did enchance the difficulty of an already challenging course. Saw plenty of runners drop like flies in the second half of the race. Would do it again for the sheer beauty of the course and the great volunteers who did show up. I will carry some of my own liquid aid next time!

There are not enough aid stations, especially in the early miles. Bring your own water bottle for this race.

Plusses:
- The course is visually magnificent. It starts at about ~8,100 feet above sea level, and winds down a vally past peaks, alpine meadows, streams, and old farms to Steamboat Springs at 6,700 feet;
- Very well organized. Good water/Gaterade/gel stations, transportaion worked well, nice volunteers;
- The first 4-5 miles is on a nice downhill pitch, which causes confidence to soar... (but see my negatives).

Negatives:
- First, no negatives. This is a great race. These are more warnings:
- Don't get fooled by the speed on the first 4-5 miles. The course slows down, and if you go out to quickly, you will die. I saw a lot of walking dead (full disclosure: I was on the brink of joining this group) in the last 6 miles that I had seen sprint out ahead, more so than usual;
- As you should expect for a rural course, not a lot of spectators. But, the scenery more than makes up for it.

Not surprisingly, there is very little "crowd" support. Until the last 1/2 mile in town, you may see more cows/horses than people, but that is part of the attraction. The starting area is like a big club run, with everyone mingling and trying to stay warm until the start. Very casual. The course profile looks like a lot of downhill, but it rolls, so don't expect long stretches of relief. Steamboat in June can be truly beautiful, and the marathon can make for an enjoyable addition to a vacation.

Steamboat is a great and challenging race. The race was well organized and the course was beautiful. Lucky for this flat-lander, there were a lot of declines to cruise down. The volunteers were great and still out and energetic. The last 6 miles were very hot, so THANKS to the volunteer who wrapped ice in my bandana during the last few miles! After drinking what seemed to be gallons of Gatorade, I finished in six hours. A big thanks to everyone! By the way, when they say the cut-off time is six hours, they mean it. There was no food left and the finish line and tents were just about down. This time I didn't care; I found shade and took a nap.

I included this race as part of my Colorado vacation. It was a little tougher than I thought. Even after spending a week at 8K ft and climbing to 12, 13 and 14k ft twice I found myself breathing really hard just to maintain a moderate pace on that hilly course.
As the others have mentioned, the event was well organized, I just wished there had been a few more water stations to compensate for the warm and dry weather.

I ran the half marathon, so I only got to enjoy the last half of the course. The scenery was fantastic and the runners were all very friendly. We made this part of our summer vacation and I would suggest that for anyone. I am hoping to make this an annual race!