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May 3, 2024

American Discovery Trail Marathon Runner Comments

Back to American Discovery Trail Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 58 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > ]

A. B. from Colorado Springs, CO (9/5/2012) "GREAT for back of the pacer-ers:)" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 American Discovery Trail Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am an injured, disabled runner and I was pleasantly surprised how kind everyone was! The course director was fantastic and kept checking on those of us who were last to finish. But we DID finish and there was a LOT of food for us! Gasp! What a treat! People were there to hand out goodies as well!
Phil Ferrero from Colorado, USA (9/5/2012) "Great marathon for those who like low-key race" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 American Discovery Trail Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my second year running the ADT marathon, and it was a great experience, again. The marathon is low-key, so if you like to get away from the crowds of the larger events, this is a good one to enter. There were a few hiccups (the start was delayed while we waited for participants to arrive at the starting line; the 3:30 and 3:45 pacers did not show), but overall it was a great race - fabulous scenery and great course. The crowds are sparse, so if you need that as a motivator, you may want to try a different marathon. This was also a great BQ race - slight downhill most of the way, and mostly packed trail. My only downside on the race was of my own doing - I lost my Garmin 610! I believe I left it at the finish area. For those at the race - if you found it, contact me via this site! I need to know my splits (and of course, would like the Garmin back).
S. S. from Boulder (9/4/2012) "Wonderful course / event" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a well organized event on an interesting course. The biggest pluses were aid stations only 2 miles apart. It was 60 degrees at the start and low 70's when I finished. If you had to fish for negatives, of course we all want more porta-potties at the start and along the course. The first mile is tight around the lake but you still have over 25 miles to run after that so a little early patients is all that is needed. There were a couple of sections of the course that felt more like a trail race with twists and ups / downs. The last 10km has lots of asphalt and concrete, but there is also dirt along the side which I chose to run on most of the time to avoid the concrete.
Eric Olson from Omaha, Nebraska (9/22/2011) "Great Colorado marathon. Highly recommended!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great marathon experience. Ran it with a friend who was running his first. Absolutely beautiful course. Weather was perfect. Loved the post-race atmosphere at America The Beautiful park. I would recommend this race to anyone. Only 2 (small) suggestions: 1) more portable toilets, especially at start, and 2) consider closing the course to bikers - some of which were quite aggressive. But overall, great event. Enthusiastic volunteers and well-stocked aid stations.
Ray Tetrault from Kokomo, Indiana (9/13/2011) "I will come back again for this one" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was a challenge to run as I have been ordered to keep my heartrate under 130 at all times. The course was great, the only snafu was the locked portajons at the start which meant my wife and I started the marathon 5 minutes after it started. There isn't anything to not like about this race. It is low key, but well done. This was marathon #80 for me and one of only a handful I want to do again.
Gary Hall from Estes Park, CO (9/13/2011) "Great course, great support" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I did this on Labor Day this year. Excellent mostly hard-packed dirt course (not crushed gravel as reported by others earlier). Some asphalt and concrete, but 80% of race is dirt surface. Some small ups & downs that make the middle mile a bit tougher. Much more shade than I expected. Quite cold at the start, not enough restrooms, which sent many people into the willows and trees. I lost my little green iPod at the 9 or 10 mile mark, if you find it, let me know. Sara, the race director, is awesome, excellent customer service. Great volunteers on course; water & hydration drinks were VERY plentiful, no excuse to go thirsty. Funny moment: 18-mile mark, well-meaning volunteer telling me 'the hardest part is over'!
Gary Hall from Estes Park, CO (9/8/2011) "Excellent course, good race!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Ran the marathon three days ago. Course is excellent, mostly hard-packed dirt, some short asphalt or concrete sections. The middle miles are the toughest, with lots of small ups & downs, meaning that the net altitude drop of 1200 feet involves a few hundred feet of gain & loss that even out. Buses were school, so did not have restrooms; not too big a deal, but then there weren't enough restrooms at start, leaving quite a few to head toward the trees & willows, or to hop off the course during the early parts of the race. Sara, the race director, is awesome, great customer service. Hilton was a good deal, made it very convenient, not having to hang in the cold dark park in the morning. LOTS of water opportunities, no excuse to go thirsty. A few too many bicyclists, some kind of aggressive. More shade on the course than I expected, would help on a hotter day. Perfect day this year, I think it was 65 when I finished, cold at start, bring throw-aways. Humorous moment at 18 miles when spectator told me that 'the toughest part is over'. Hmmm. Lost my iPod at mile 10, so if you find it, let me know!
T. H. from McCook, Nebraska (9/8/2011) "Colorado at it's best!" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Do yourself a favor. If you run this make sure you do FULL marathon. Those who ran the half missed out on the surreal bus trip in the darkness up the mountain and the absolute beauty of the first 18 miles. Be sure to bring sweats and jackets as waiting for the start got down right cold. When you get off the bus head strait to the porta-potties because there are only 6 or 7 and the lines are long. The atmosphere amongst the runners was friendly and laid back. The crowd support was thin compared to urban marathons but those that were there were very enthusiastic (props to the cowbell guy!). SUPPORT WAS EXCELLENT. Water or Gatorade every couple of miles and the hammergels were there when I needed them. This race is not chip timed but due to the small size this was not a significant factor (10-15 sec). The course is net downhill with a few rolling hills in the middle of the course and a few short, steep climbs coming up from underpasses as you reach the city. The crowd at the finish line was great and the MC announcing the name and the hometown of the finishers was a nice touch as were the beautiful finishers medals. THIS DEFINENTLY IS A COURSE ONE COULD PR ON. I did!
R. B. from Southeastern PA (9/8/2011) "If you don't like huge crowds, bands & fanfare..." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 then this race is for you! I absolutely love smaller races, and this was by far my very favorite marathon experience. Imagine getting to start a marathon at sunrise with Pike's Peak looming to your right the entire time. The air was crisp and cold, the trails were soft and easy on the joints (although I had to shake some small rocks out of my shoes several times), and the course support was perfect. I was very intimidated by the altitude, being from sea level, but I actually set a PR for this race! Being from the Northeast I had to train in a lot of humidity, so I think the thinner air actually made it much easier for me to run. The net downhill is not too noticeable, but don't be fooled, there are some small uphill climbs that can be a bit steep, and the same goes for downhill (I had to hit the brakes a few times running downhill). While the weather was perfect this year, be warned that there is very little shade and the sun can be brutal if you are not prepared. I imagine if it was ten degrees warmer I may have had a much different experience. Positives: Great medal, nice shirt without a ton of sponsors on it (and NOT unisex, which is nice for those of us who don't like to drown in small men's sized shirts), transportation to the start was easy, forgiving course with maybe 70% of dirt and unpaved trails, great water stop support with lots of smiling faces, Hammergel at 3 stops, and amazing scenery. Negatives: Some of the downsides, which others mentioned: the start around Palmer Lake is definitely congested, and you really do get bottlenecked for the first mile or so (it's impossible to pass and there is maybe room for three people across while you are ducking tree branches); there are NO clocks on the course or timing chips. The time you finish is your official time, and I crossed the starting line maybe 20 seconds after the official clock started. If you want to qualify for Boston, this could be problematic. Also, you do have to share the course with bikers, walkers and pedestrians, but this didn't bother me much considering I always shared trails when I trained. The course is very sparse in terms of spectators, if you like the Rock N' Roll events then look elsewhere. But if you like small intimate events where you can get to know your fellow runners on the course, and enjoy breathtaking scenery, this is definitely for you. The state I feared to run the most turned out to be one of the greatest marathon experiences of my life.
S. L. from Colorado Springs, CO (9/5/2011) "Amazing Race" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 American Discovery Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Just ran this race today and it was a great race. The park was easy to get to with a lot of parking close to the finish. It was well run, with water/Gatorade every two miles or so, and three stations with gel packs. Port-a-johns were placed throughout the race (and since the first half of it was running along a trail with no homes or buildings, if you had to use a tree or bushes it was easy for my running buddy and others to do). The course is nice and provides a scenic view of the mountains, and well mostly flat there are a couple of down and uphill sections (nothing too crazy). No issues with traffic as there volunteers to hold up traffic. There was one little snafu and that was at the start the port-a-johns were locked and it caused a slight back up. Another positive of the race was that since it was cold during the start of the race most people ran the first two miles or so with a hoodie, fleece, or long sleeve shirt. Most people left them at an aide station, and the volunteers brought them back to the finish for people to claim and if not they will get donated. Not a lot of people to cheer you on, but those that were there to watch and the encouragement from non-race runners/bikers on the trail made up for the lack of people. It was a great low key race and it was nice to hear your name called when you crossed the finish line. At the finish line they had pizza, bananas, oranges, muffins, water, and Gatorade for the runners. They also had free 10 minute massages available and a chiropractor to work the joints and back. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to run in Colorado.

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