Scenic and peaceful (about: 2000)
Course: 5
Organization: 5
Fans: 4
A Runner from Houston, Texas (6/7/00)
The countryside of northern Colorado is stunning and if you're after peace, quiet, and scenery, this is the marathon for you.
Unfortunately, the narrow country road isn't totally closed to traffic so it takes a little away from the peace and quiet part, but the scenery makes up for it.
Unlike last year were it snowed before the start, this year the temperature ranged from mid 50's at the start to 85 at the finish...be prepared to run in any condition.
The marathon was very well organized and the packet pick up was easy to find and quick to get through.
Buses picked us up in the morning and dropped us off at the starting point.
There were plenty of porta-johns at the start and half-marathon site but few in between.
My only complaint would be the lack of water stations although they all had Gatorade and most had Power Gels available. For the first 16 miles they were spaced 3-3.5 miles apart, which may not be so bad if you're used to the altitude, dry mountain air, and if the weather would have been cooler. Unfortunately, being a 'flat-lander' I was parched by mile 6 and made sure to drink as much as possible.
I would suggest carrying your own water if you plan to run this marathon.
The course is challenging with the majority of the large hills within the first 6 miles, the rest gently rolling. Post-race was small with plenty of water, Gatorade and munchies readily available. You were also handed a card with your finishing time and overall place just minutes after finishing.
If you're a 'flat-lander' and you decide to do a marathon in Colorado the altitude is something you should take into consideration. I ran the marathon within 24 hours of arrival and had no ill effects. I never felt out of breath while running but could tell I wasn't in my 'element'...in this case, hot & humid & smoggy air. Over all this was a good experience and I'm planning on running more marathons in this area in the near future.
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