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Apr 28, 2024

Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) Runner Comments

Back to Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 118 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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L. B. from Denver, CO (6/12/2015) "Great Race and well organized" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 14th marathon and definitely the most organized, planned out race I have done. From the communication leading up to the race, to the expo, to the buses and finish line, it was all perfect! Thanks Colorado Marathon!
A. C. from Washington, DC (5/14/2015) "Really wanted to love this race...." (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I was very excited about this race. I love nature, Colorado, the course looked great, size looked optimal. The beginning is lovely - can't beat the first 13 miles. Also, the coffee at the start was a nice touch. Too few port-a-potties for sure. Also, I don't know why the bus has to get us to the start by 5:15 for a 6:30 start? That said, they were nice buses and very organized. The expo was really nice for the size of the run (loved the paintings of bears, etc.) and the hotel was convenient. The big problem: it was a VERY WARM/HOT day and having water every 3 miles was NOT ENOUGH. I am surprised organizers did not end up with a serious situation on their hands akin to other races where no adequate preparation has been put in place for hot days and runner illness. Combine heat in the valley that comprises miles 16-20 or so with the altitude and lack of water and it was one of the worst races I've run of my 35 marathons. Simply put people in danger and that is not ok. Also, I agree with comments about too narrow of a shoulder. We were basically forced to run on the white line through the canyon since it stayed open to traffic.
M. K. from USA (5/10/2015) "Nice marathon, but needs improvements" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Expo was small but efficient. I stayed at the Hilton and heard the train as well, but found the hotel fine. The bus to the start was nice and prompt. 48 degrees at the start. Could have used more port o potties at the start, long line. Race started on time. The canyon run was beautiful and the altitude did not bother me. Unfortunately after mile 16-17 you were in a wide open pasture with no shade. Even ran under high tension wires on a bike path. It became much hotter 70+ and there was not enough water stops (every ~3 miles). The only marathon I have finished with no food available at the finish. Did get the one free beer and a bottle of water. Very disappointing. RD stated farmers market was suppose to supply this and it ran out in one hour. There was a 5K, 10K, and half marathon, so you know who didn't get any food. Asked at info booth for direction to shuttle to hotel and given wrong information. Found other misguided runners and called the hotel to find location. Pizza available at local establishment not at finish.
Linda Miller from Wellington, Florida (5/7/2015) "SPECTACULAR!!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was the most beautiful marathon I have ever run. The course was tough and if you did your homework you would see it was not going to be easy. So the complaints about cambered roads etc. unfounded. just be ready. Don't go out too fast. If qualifying for Boston is what you are after I did with a 12 min cushion. Just be prepared. Hill work. Hill work. Hill work. The race directors are very approachable. As a matter of fact when we arrived in bus at start Logan got on the bus introduced himself and gave us final direction. We had plenty of porta pottys/loud music to pump us up/ steaming hot coffees and hot chocolate. It was a great start. There was a detour and we had a little extra hill at mile 24. That was tough. But actually it was a nice break. The roads are so varying. Sometimes you're on a steep downhill, next you're climbing, or you're winding through beautiful bike trails. Lots of unassessable areas for spectators. But they made up for it when we saw them. The race photos are plentiful and FREE!! Can't beat that. Medal is beautiful and not over kill. Hilton hotel was quiet and very accommodating. Nice cold pool to dip into after race was like ice cubes. Hot tub, good restaurant and bar and laundry across the street. Local and walkable to micro breweries and down town. Very nice comfortable location. Very quiet. Not sure where other run that complained was at. Easy to take elevator to lobby to bus to start. Also expo down stairs. It is the only place to stay for out of towners it has it all. I drank only the NUUN drink on the course wore a hydration belt and never needed it. Water stops a plenty.
N. K. from Ephrata, PA (5/4/2015) "A good marathon" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 20th marathon and my most difficult. Here are my pros and cons: Pros: Beautiful first half. Fast course. The expo was solid. The sponsors provided a lot of goodies after the race. Nice medal and tech t-shirt. Having coffee at the race start was AWESOME. Good crowd support for the 2nd half. Cons: I would not run this race if you have tendinitis issues on your right side. We had to run on the left side of the road which had a steep slope. They should really just close the road. I think 30 cars went by? I was also annoyed that the police kept telling us to run single file (and being pushy about it). I get that you're keeping us safe, but come on. Do not stay at the Hilton if you're a light sleeper or have small children. A train with a terribly loud horn woke us up around 2am every night. I didn't think it would, but the altitude really affected me. Know your body before running this race.
A. T. from Chicago (5/4/2015) "Beautiful, scenic" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Beautiful, scenic course; 16 miles down canyon, then through countryside with horse and cattle farms; then into town. Big hill at 18? and 21? NOT ENOUGH WATER STATIONS. Promised every 2 miles but more like 2 1/2 to 3. BRING A BIG WATER BOTTLE. I ALWAYS ran out of water in my 10 oz. bottle between stations. Bring your own Nuun tablets; Nuun drinks were often quite diluted. Buses were great; beautiful start area along a river and surrounded by peaks; plenty of porta potties at start and along the way. CRAZY tiny area to run along shoulder all the way down the canyon. Police kept telling us to run single-file! yeah, right, we're all different paces; some are doing run-walk. Great post-race and free pizza and beer at a local restaurant. All the volunteers and people working the Expo were super nice and friendly.
R. F. from Florida (5/12/2014) "Excellent scenic super fast course" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As a flat lander, i was very nervous coming into this race and had no idea what impact the high altitude going to make, my target was breaking 3:10 (my age group BQ). I can say that for people not used to high altitude arriving 4 days at least prior to the race is SUPER important and as the days went by i started feeling more comfortable with the training. As for the race, the transportation arrangement was very efficient, my advice is to come early and get on the first bus, later the lines for toilets becomes insane and many people gave up and found spots in nature. the course is SUPER fast, the first 17 miles mostly downhill, the main problem was the road is uneven and on each turn 1 feet is above the other. it is very important to keep your planned pace, downhill can be very deceiving. i would recommend a positive split here, take advantage of the course profile. The second part of the course starts at mile 17, where it becomes flat, mile 19 have a small hill which on first sight seemed harmless to me but the high altitude made it a little more challenging. still, i faced much more challenging uphills than this. from that point it is mostly flat, the bike path is narrow and little boring but this is already the end and it didnt bother me too much. i was able to meet my target and finished just above 3:08. The aid stations were great, the volunteers were awesome, the finish line was full of energy and entertainment. anyone looking into qualifying Boston, i would strongly recommend. the weather for local was hot, for me it was perfect. i guess need some luck here as it can get very cold at this altitude at 5AM.
J. M. from Pennsylvania (5/8/2014) "Beautiful course but..." (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Pros: * The first 60% of the race is tremendously beautiful. * Fort Collins is an awesome town! Highly recommend it for out-of-towners. Come early (altitude adjust) and stay late (many micro-brews and scenic adventures). * Friendly people and volunteers (except for one person whom I'll not soon forget.) * Great pre-race logistics. (Forgiving the wrong turn the bus driver made. Still got to the start with time to spare.) * Beer! Real good beer! * efficient and decent little expo. Cons: 2014 was first year with a major sponsor and the sponsor's logo dominated the race shirt, crappy medal and on-sale merchandise. I bought a souvenir from last year since it was cheaper and much nicer. * I'm still not sure why the entry fee was so high. When I signed up there was no sponsor, so I assumed that factored in to it. Still ticked off about the advertisement they handed out in the form of a medal. They should send all 2014 finishers a new and better medal. * Major heat was not the race's fault, but they did little to adjust for it. Would have been nice to have had more stations towards the end. Went 3 miles without water at the end and exhausted my carried bottle. * Saw a medic (on bike) ride right past a person in obvious distress. I stopped to help instead. * Course was too tight in spots and the part through the park was on cement. With the heat, no water and no shade, this was tough. In the hills, the course has some steep and prolonged sideways tilts. Those with hip and knee issues should be cautious. * Shirt was the same for the 5K as the Marathon. That's just not right for commemeration of the achievement. :-)
D. R. from Cincinnati, OH (5/6/2014) "Nice small marathon." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pros: 1) Nice course especially the first 16 miles. 2) Nice organization of transportation to start. 3) Nice expo - organized and fun with good vendors. 4) Friendly volunteers and well stocked aid stations. 5) Easy race start and baggage check. 6) Easy baggage pick up at end of race and transportation back to hotel. Cons: 1) This year the sponsor changed. Both the medal and shirt featured the vendor and did not even include the year of the race. Previous years' medal and shirt were much nicer. 2) It was VERY HOT this year, so for folks not used to altitude it was a double challenge with heat and altitude. It would have been nice to have some misters later in the race, though it did get hot the starting the day before race, so may have been difficult to plan. 3) The race course at times only had a narrow area for runners. This unfortunately did not stop some runners from running two abreast making it difficult to get around. 4) Chocolate milk at finish would have been nice...there was a lot of beer, but I don't drink beer. Also could not find food other than bagels and fruit. Would have been nice to have potatoe chips.
B. E. from Miami, FL (6/15/2013) "fantastic race" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 If you like a gentle downhill race with great average temperatures, this is the race for you! The expo was tiny, but no big deal. The early AM busing was a bit of a pain, but it didn't seem that early since I was coming from a couple of time zones ahead.

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