I ran the 'double' - 25K trail run and half marathon road run. The courses were beautiful and had enthusiastic volunteers. I was surprised at all the amenities for a small race. I loved the goodie bag, post race food/festivals (ribs, burgers, etc) and especially the personalized finisher plates for completing the double. Matt Kelly and his volunteers did an excellent job. The rerouted course for Sunday did get a little boring since we had to do out and backs but it was very pretty running along the river. Besides the race starting late (which we were warned of the day before), the race was very well organized and everything went smoothly. I highly recommend running the Durango Double and definitely spend some extra days exploring the beautiful surroundings.

This was the second year I ran the 25K trail run on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday. Running the muddy trail was challenging and fun. The BBQ rib lunch afterward was delicious and gave me a chance to meet other runners. I really enjoyed the half marathon Sunday. It was a last-minute change, but, since I've become a slower, back-of-the-pack runner, I liked having so many people around me. The river trail is beautiful. (It might have gotten old had I been running the marathon!) I thought Matt Kelly and his crew did a SUPERB job putting on a race under such circumstances! I'll definitely be back!

This was one ridiculously disorganized race. I ran the 50K on Saturday and have to admit the scenery was absolutely stunning. I took the early start and saw a mountain lion on the trail just above Durango. Everything was fine until the so-called split for the 2nd 50K loop. No volunteer and no sign pointing the correct way. I ran all the way down to Aid Station 2, following flagged trees and other runners. When I found out about the mistake, I turned around and ran back up the mountain to start my second loop and finish the whole course. I figure I lost about 50 minutes or more. The barbecue after the race was very good, but we couldn't eat too much because we were running the marathon in less than 24 hours.

Marathon on Sunday morning: up earlier than we needed to be because they changed the course and the start location. How could they have not known this Saturday afternoon? What a complete mess. I understand problems happen but this is a race where they go to expos recruiting people to visit and run. They have a video on their website for goodness sake. There's no good reason for not having a "traffic control device." The race just isn't that big. They didn't even bother to put out mile markers. Completely unorganized and with the confusing out-and-backs some people ran too much and of course some people cheated. The course got a little redundant but that's ok. Why couldn't they have certified the course? The aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers were terrific and friendly. The post-race party was ok, but they waited too long to hand out awards. They couldn't make up their minds as to whether or not they were going to announce the recipents of the Double Plates. After waiting an hour they finally told us to just come up a get our plates with no announcements. I was not impressed and I do not recommend this race.

One of the first marathons where my disappointment over not receiving the correct sized shirt was actually addressed. Aid stations and the support crew were ENTHUSIASTIC and VERY FRIENDLY. Course had to be changed at the last minute and the race director did a good job organizing everything. Town is a lot of fun and hiking the next day was scenic and interesting.

I did the Horse Gulch 25K. The course was challenging, esp with the rain the night before. It should've been marked better. Sometimes things were marked where they didn't need to be, and other times you had to search to see where the trail was going. The 1st mile or so is tight single track, and being so close to a flood-stage river created a lot of unnecessary bottlenecking.

Aid stations were placed in odd places. Sometimes rather close together and at others too far between stations. I would definitely like to applaud the enthusiastic volunteer who stood at the point separating the 25K turnaround and the loop change for the 50K. As runners came up the steep hill, you could hear loud music and knew you were almost there. It was a welcome sight.

VERY scenic route. Shirt was almost transparent but still nice. Aid stations had super helpful volunteers.

The road race apparently didn't have the necessary people show up to close the roads, so they had to run a crappy re-route. Not par for the course from what I've heard of this race though. Hopefully they'll have a better plan B for next year.

I ran the 25K trail run on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday. It was truly one of the friendliest and well-organized races I've run. Not to mention that Saturday's trail run had breathtaking scenery! Coming from Washington, DC, I did run it slightly slower, due to altitude, but no major problems. The whole spectrum of events offered throughout the weekend made it more than just a race--I've been describing it to my fellow runners as a true 'running festival' where we felt taken care of and entertained through the entire weekend. The plates given to the 'double' runners are the most unique and interesting race premium I've ever received (or probably ever will).

Durango itself is so scenic, beautiful, and fun, it just compliments the entire race. There were last minute changes to the marathon/half-marathon course that probably slowed some folks down or upset others who expected to qualify for Boston, but I was not trying for a PR, so was not really affected by them.
My advice is to run the Durango Double for the beauty, fun, and friendliness--it is really a race for the senses.

I ran the 50K trail race, which featured the most convoluted course I have ever run. Although the course markings were good, and I was able to follow them without mishap, there was no one on the course making sure that runners actually completed the various loops the correct number of times. As a result, several top runners were disqualified for inadvertently short-cutting the course, and some slower runners received official finish times, even though they too inadvertently short-cut the course. In addition, because the 25K and 50K start at the same time and initially follow the same route, there were way too many runners on the narrow trail at one time, forcing everyone to stop repeatedly over the first five miles while the back-ups were resolved. Durango is such a beautiful area, and there are lots of trails to choose from, so it's difficult to understand why race organizers would select such a problematic course. Perhaps it's because they're ambitiously trying to put on four separate running events over a two-day period. Better to put on one event, and do that one really well.

This was my first marathon and I had a great time. Durango is a beautiful town! Despite having a last-minute course change, I felt well supported and appreciated how efficiently the changes were communicated. The aid stations were wonderful with nonstop encouragement and friendly faces. This was a great first-timer's marathon. Just the right size!

The trail runs on Saturday were muddy, but the day was clear and we had lots of sloppy fun. The trails were very well marked and overall organization tip-top. Around 5 p.m. Saturday, Matt Kelly, the RD, learned that the traffic barricades for Sunday hadn't arrived and worse, weren't arriving. He matter-of-factly went about setting up an alternative course along the river, on the bike path, that worked out better than you might imagine. (He stayed out in the dark, riding his bike along the new course to be sure it was in order for us.) The pasta dinner went on as scheduled. Pam Reed spoke (she also ran the 25K trail run earlier that day and then the marathon the next day). The support stations were there; it wasn't as crowded as anticipated; and we all got to recognize one another as we traversed the path, so by the final loop, were encouraging each other - there was a great spirit present. I was drawn there by the promise of the Boston Challenge (do a trail run Sat., run a BQ Sunday, and get your Boston registration paid for) and happily achieved it.

I think Matt did a fantastic job, along with his magnificent crew of volunteers, in taking a bad situation with the potential for havoc (many others might have canceled the marathon) and putting on a good race. Durango is a lot of fun - wish I could have stayed longer. I feel lucky to have been there, to have run a trail and road run, and to have witnessed true grace under pressure.

I just returned to Dallas after running the Durango Marathon and would love to know "what happened." The course changed at the last minute from the planned USATF certified scenic road route to five five-mile repeats plus another 1.2 along the Animas River. Because the course change was at the last minute and the new route wasn't USATF certified, the race was no longer a Boston Qualifier.

Let me preface everything by saying that the Durango area has some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen. The trip was worth it just for the sightseeing.

The people were friendly and the hotels and volunteers were great. I would go back just to enjoy the town and scenery.

I'm not quite sure what happened between packet pick-up time on Saturday and the race on Sunday to change the course so drastically, but we were told that the volunteers and race director worked through the night to make sure there would at least be a race.

I arrived at the point where we were to be bussed to the start at 6 a.m. the day of the race. I was then told that there were logistical problems and to return to the pick-up point at 7:30 a.m. At 7:30 a.m., we were told that due to logistical issues (safety equipment not arriving), the course had to be changed at the last minute to be along the Animas River and would start in the park along that river. That seemed okay to me since my hotel was right along the river and I knew it was a beautiful scenic route.

The other change was that walkers and half marathoners would all start at the same time.

However, because the length of the river walk was only a total distance of about five miles, we had to repeat the same segment five times. No matter how beautiful the scenery, after about the third time, I was ready to see something new. In addition, the "course" was not blocked off during the race. So, I had to dodge bicyclists with baby trailers, walkers with dogs, sightseers, and kayakers carrying their kayaks to the river. It seemed more like a training run than a race. If I had planned to use the race as a Boston Qualifier, I probably would have been ticked. However, this was a sightseeing race for me since I plan to run Vegas in December.

I don't know who dropped the ball, but if the race had gone along the planned route, I would have given it five stars. However, this year I only give it two stars - which is too bad. I hope they get the problem straightened out so they can go back to the original course. And I hope the fiasco this year doesn't impact the number of race entrants next year. The finisher's medals were nice and the technical shirts in our packets were also nice. But most of all, the Durango area is gorgeous and it would be a pity if they couldn't put together a USATF certified course (without mile repeats) that showed off its natural beauty.

Oh well. I can use the nice, enlarged, laminated course map I paid $10 for as a place mat.