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Apr 27, 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 31 to 41]

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Allen Babaran from Belmont CA (5/4/2011) "Incredible, Scenic Course" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is my 15th marathon, and with regard to natural beauty, this is the most spectacularly scenic course I've run. The course starts up at about 6,000 feet and is between the canyons above route 14 and 287 right next to the Poudre River. It was a fast course, so even though I was out of shape, I was still able to match my averages. The expo and organization are well orchestrated with not much complication to confuse the runners. I do take issue with the 10K runs converging with the end of the marathon, though. Because the first 15 miles of the course were well outside residential areas, fan presence was sparse until the last few miles. Getting into Fort Collins was a different story though. All in all, it's a fine race that I wouldn't mind doing again. Heck... I would love to do this race again.
A. S. from Albuquerque, NM (5/3/2011) "A super must-run marathon" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 With a cap at 1,000 runners, this was a great size for running down a canyon road at sunrise. The course was gorgeous and fast with a gradual down slope that helped the first 16 miles. Wish they could have cut out all traffic and let the runners take both lanes (and tangents) The bike path during the last 10k was mostly concrete, with a dirt path next to it, and a weird floating bridge that was a bit hard to handle at mile 23 or so. The last .2 miles to the finish had a torn-up road which was unfortunate. They did actually have Hammer gels at 2 spots on course, contrary to race reports, and had amazing organic steel cut oatmeal w/berries and nuts at finish (also an apparent change), plus free beer. The volunteers were so great. The 2-3 miles between stops was pretty doable, but with HEED as the drink, I was bringing my own gels. I PRed and BQed here, cutting 8:40 off my best time. Wish they would have had coffee or something warm at the start to wait with. Expo was minimal but a nice display from Brooks, which had wonderful race shirts this year.
R. W. from Georgia (5/2/2011) "Nice downhill - less sidewalk and more food please" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The race starts out in the beautiful Poudre River canyon. You are bused up from downtown Fort Collins in luxury buses and allowed to mill around in Stevens Gulch campground for about thirty minutes prior to the start. The scenery is beautiful on the 16 mile descent through the canyon. It is mainly downhill. The road (State Route 14) is VERY cambered and you will find yourself running on a slant at many times. There is little traffic however, so you pretty much have the road to your own use. My primary complaints with this race are - there is not ANY food at the rest stops along the way. Only water and HEED. I am a fairly decent runner, but I need caloric replenishment in order to keep that up. The rather grim tasting HEED did not do the trick and I hit the wall early, starved of glycogen. The last six miles of the course are along the concrete Poudre River Canyon bike trail. Crowding was not a problem at the race, however, this was a jarring surface to run on at the end. The volunteer support was very good, crowd support didn't materialize (due to geographical logistics) until the base of the canyon at mile 17. Also, if you are from a low altitude part of the country - do be prepared for that higher altitude. It isn't terribly cumbersome, but can leave you feeling winded.
D. W. from Thornton, CO (a north Denver suburb) (5/13/2010) "A must-do marathon!" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon, and I'm glad I chose it. I'll definitely plan to run it again! Pros: 1. Easy to get into/out of expo for packet pick-up. 2. Luxury buses take you up the canyon to the starting line. 3. (Free) bagels are available if you want them at the transportation center when you catch the bus on race morning. 4. Plenty of porta-potties at the start. 5. Easy bag check at start and retrieval at end of race. 6. A gorgeous race course for the first almost 20 miles, running through the Poudre Canyon next to the Poudre River with the Rockies in sight! 7. Enthusiastic and encouraging volunteers! 8. A great finishing stretch, with spectators lined up cheering you on! 9. I like the fact that they announced your name as you crossed the finish line. 10. Old Town Fort Collins is a fun place. 11. The finisher's medal is unusual - it represents the fact that you've just run in gorgeous Colorado. (Sorry, my bias is showing here!) :-) 12. The weather was neither too cold nor too hot. You'll need light layers while waiting to start, but you can easily shed them before the gun goes off. I ran in short sleeves, light Nike capris, and a throwaway hat and throwaway gloves (which I shed before the halfway point). Tip: you might want to take a little book light for a bit more light while waiting at the start. Cons: 1. Parts of the road in the canyon are steeply cambered, which is a bit hard on the legs. 2. The course isn't completely closed, and there are parts where we had to run on the shoulder - being funneled even from using the left lane. Some blind curves were a bit unnerving. 3. I didn't like running on the bike path for the last several miles. Too narrow in places for even a small race like this. 4. Some folks who'd stopped running were sometimes walking 2-3 abreast on the bike path, making it tricky to get around them. Out of courtesy, I would have appreciated them even being aware that I was trying to get around them and move over a bit. (How about some reminders of race-day etiquitte?) 5. Was there an official photographer at the finish? 6. The volunteers at the finish just handed you your medallion with it still wrapped up. After running a marathon, little things like having them place it around your neck are really meaningful. 7. Food at the end could have been much better and more plentiful. Leave the bananas and apples whole. Be aware - if you need a lot of spectator support, you won't get it until you're out of the canyon (around mile 17) because spectators aren't allowed in the canyon for logistical and safety reasons. However, if you're good without that and can focus on yourself and running your race, it's great! No race is perfect, but overall this is a fantastic race that I'd highly recommend. The course is fast, but it's not necessarily "easy." I ran a BQ and a PR, and got a great placement in my division, so my experience was great. But don't let our secret out too much - I want to run this one again! Way to go, Fort Fun! I'll be back!
M. M. from Colorado (5/12/2010) "Great race again, but lose the trails" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Another great year for the Colorado Marathon! I've run this race 6 times and the weather is always beautiful. I keep coming back because it is such a nice, well run race. However, I do have the same to complaints that seem common among participants. The sidewalks over the last 10K or so are way too crowded. With the number of entries increasing for the half marathon, it is getting even worse. Each year I've finished in the top 10% or so of the marathon, so it has only been somewhat crowded for me, but I can't imagine how much of a bottleneck there is for marathoners who are back in more of a pack. Please consider another option as the path is just too crowded. My other complaint is the energy drink, HEED. Hammer may be a good sponsor and the gel isn't bad, but HEED just tastes awful. A few miles after I mistakenly took a cup of HEED, my stomach started churning and I had to stop at a porta-potty for only the second time in nearly 20 marathons. Who knows? It could have happened anyway, but going into the race I planned on not having any HEED because I knew from previous years that I didn't like it. Overall, great event. I expect to be back for my 7th year in 2011.
C. R. from Tulsa, OK (5/11/2010) "I would run this one again" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race has beautiful scenery for the downhill portion, though the road is quite cracked and uneven. I had no problem with the altitude, and I loved running in the cool, crisp air. The bus shuttle to the start line was well organized, and the bagels were a nice touch. Dress warmly to wait at the start line, yet cool enough for comfort when running in the sun the latter half of the race. Two and a half or three miles is too far between water stops; however, I did like the signs at the water stops telling you how far until the next one. Once you finish the downhill portion, the course becomes less scenic. The narrow concrete trail for the last 5-6 miles is not ideal for a race. Spectators were great encouragers! Please have the volunteers at the end take the medals out of the plastic coverings and place them over the heads of the runners. Overall, I would run Ft. Collins again. Do away with the concrete trail, and I'd give this race 5 stars.
l. n. from wyoming (5/11/2010) "beautiful... but some help needed" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is the 2nd time I've run this course. I love the course and knew what to expect; the water stops, elevation, busing, and path are all well described ahead of time. Kudos, but here are my concerns. For an expensive race, and with approximately half of the marathoners being women... why only offer men's sizing for the shirt? They are HUGE! 2. little food and no beer at the finish!? Are you kidding?! A beer glass for a first-place finish in your age group. That part was so disappointing! These comments are meant to help, as these were complaints I heard from a ton of finishers. They need to get better-fitting shirts, and MORE food and drink; and their awards have definitely gone way downhill since 2008.
M. R. from Fort Collins CO USA (5/10/2010) "Beautiful scenery, great organization" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Overall, I really like this course and the organizers do a good job. The downhill section in the canyon is fast, and it is a course where you can run a good time. As other comments have pointed out, the last 10K are a bit rough, as there are numerous other folks on the course and there are some narrow sections. I respect all race participants, but I do think walkers should be strongly encouraged to stay to the side and never go three-wide. That is very hard to navigate. Overall, I think the organizers do a great job and run a good event. It would be nice if there were more room for everybody on the path those last few miles. I know I was getting pretty grouchy with some of the walkers that were taking up a lot of the path. All that said, this is an event to be proud of if you are from the area.
C. E. from New York (5/10/2010) "Friendly, small race in a gorgeous canyon" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I flew across the country for this race and was not disappointed! Ft. Collins folks, you are great. A small race run by and with the friendliest people you'll ever meet. I would definitely do this one again. That being said, here are the "ups and downs." ups: 1. You run in a canyon at 6 a.m. with the sun rising. Come on, how can you beat that? 2. Beautiful weather: cool, sunny 3. Smooth bag pick-up and busing to the start 4. Friendly staff and race organizers 5. Super medal and tech T-shirt 6. Very good bag pick-up/drop-off 7. Good maps of the race - and even a course model at the expo! 8. Very few crowds. I like this. The fact that I have 2 stars for spectators only means that there were very few of them. You don't see anyone for like 16 miles, which is great! The Downs: 1. If you're not from CO, beware of the altitude! It starts at over 5000 feet above sea level. I really felt this in spite of my thinking that altitude would not be a consideration; I was having trouble breathing. 2. Not enough porta-johns at the start. (Seriously, I didn't get to use one.) 3. Not enough water stops in the first miles (one every 2.5 miles - not cool at altitude) and not enough "real" energy drink. That HEED stuff was atrocious and watered down beyond belief. 4. The finish area: lousiest food ever. Half of a green banana and chopped up apples after 26.2 miles? 5. No way for those without cars to get back to their hotels. 6. The bike trail part of the course was amongst the most boring and difficult to negotiate I've ever seen (dodging half marathoners walking, dogs, bikes, etc.). Overall, great race. Bravo, Ft. Collins!!
J. H. from Tulsa, OK (5/10/2010) "Destination marathon, beautiful surroundings" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Overall excellent destination marathon but the altitude needs to be taken seriously by lowlanders. We came from Tulsa, elevation 700 feet, and mostly experienced shortness of breath. If you're not used to altitude, you will not be able to run hard as you will be oxygen depleted. The scenery is fantastic; I had rafted the Poudre before, so I was really looking forward to this. The road through the canyon has a bad slope to it and our ankles were sore when we were done. The buses were very comfy and there were lots of porta-potties at the start and throughout the race. Wish we had gel and a different drink, but HEED has been a good sponsor. One of our runners was running his 47th state and the race director gave him #47 without even asking. Really fun time; nice, small race; and I would definitely recommend this marathon.

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