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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 51 to 61]

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J. B. from Billings, Montana (5/17/2008) "A Very Scenic Course" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first time running this race, and I was not disappointed. The race starts in a canyon and runs along the Poudre River. I wasn't sure how I would handle the race being pretty much all downhill, but I had no problems. If you want to run a scenic course, do this race (except for portions on the bike trail, which are not quite as scenic). If you need spectators lining the course, sorry, try another. They seemed to encourage the spectators at certain key locations (read: where there was room to accommodate them) and those that were there were awesome, as were the volunteers at the aid stations (I would also agree that maybe one or 2 more aid stations might be nice, but can see that it may not be possible logistically- the race runs in a canyon and there is not a lot of extra real estate). Overall, I had a great time and will do it again.
S. B. from Boulder, CO (5/16/2008) "Great run" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this one last year and it was good but has improved, so kudos to the organizers for listening to us. The course is still terrific; watching the sun come up in the gorgeous Poudre Canyon is amazing. Though there's a lot of concrete in the last 6 miles on the bike path, much of the time you have the option of running on dirt next to it. There were more port-o-potties along the course than last year, which was nice. I agree with T.B. that coffee or hot chocolate at the start would be an outstanding addition. It's very cold up there. I heard an official say, "There's HEED and water..." and I thought he said "heated water," which I thought was such a great idea (OK, it was too early in the morning for rational thought) and it wasn't until I passed the HEED table that I realized what he had actually said! Also it's dark when the bus drops you off at the start, and it turned out that at least half of the port-o-potties were empty. People in line were just waiting until they saw someone emerge from one, since you couldn't see the green "vacant" signs on the doors. As a result, the lines were very, very, slow. A bathroom proctor or some lights there would be good. Another suggestion is a halfway-point clothing drop since it warms up so much as you descend the canyon. There were clothes and gloves scattered all along the first part of the course. Other than that, this is a very well done race; especially given its small size, the organizers did a great job. I will definitely do it again!
D. E. from Denver (5/14/2008) "A must-do marathon" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a very well organized race and well worth it for the early morning cruise down the Poudre Canyon. What incredible scenery. The expo and packet pickup were very easy and well organized. I appreciated the luxury buses to the start line and I didn't really mind the cold all that much while waiting for the start. I expected it and planned for it, so the cold was no big deal. I have a minor gripe about the start time. Most of the literature said we would be starting at 6:00 a.m. and I was out doing my warm-up jog when they announced we would start at 6:15. I had already checked my bag and had to stand around in the cold for an extra 15 minutes getting tightened up. The aid stations were well stocked and they maybe could have had one or two more in the middle section of the race. Given that they are somewhat sporadically placed, it took me some getting used to. The crowds in the canyon were non-existent. Once we reached the flatter section heading into town, there were still not many, but they were very enthusiastic and really cheered us on. Now the main gripe that I have with this race, and one I've read about previously. Having the half marathon start 45 minutes after the marathon and routing everyone onto a narrow bike path at the end of the race makes it really, really difficult. By the time I was at mile 22, I was working hard and trying to hang in there, but I found myself winding around groups of walkers and half marathoners. There were several times that I yelled, "Runner!" so that people would move over and give me some space. It would be nice if they either started both races at the same time, or tried to get the half marathoners to stay on one side of the bike lane. In all, I was very pleased with this race and would definitely consider running it again.
K. R. from Carrollton, Texas (5/9/2008) "A Good Boston Qualifier" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 A very nice, small marathon and a good place to qualify for Boston. Very minimal spectators... even near the finish. Organization was terrific and the course was not that difficult. Bring something warm before the start; someone mentioned coffee... a great idea! Though I live in Dallas, the altitude was not a problem. I have marathoned over 60 times and I highly recommend this race... the organizers did a nice job!
C. S. from Belle Fourche, SD (5/8/2008) "Great course, very well organized" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Colorado was my 8th marathon overall and one of the nicest courses I've experienced. As others have mentioned, the first 16 miles in particular are very nice. The course itself can be fast if you are ready for the downhill. There are only two uphills of any signifcance. The first, around mile 12, was short. The second, around mile 19 or 20, was much longer and could be a killer if you were hurting by that point. I would strongly recommend downhill training if you want to run this one fast. I was going for a 3:10 BQ time but didn't fully anticipate the pounding my quads would take, and I paid the price over the final 7 miles even though the course had leveled out by then. The organization was great. The course was well marked. Traffic was blocked off on one lane for the first 17 miles and the final 6 miles or so were on a bike path, so only a few miles with cars going by. The volunteers were very helpful and enthusiastic and the aid stations were well stocked. Bus transportation to the start was on time and the buses were top of the line, complete with restrooms (no yellow schoolbuses here!). It was chilly at the start area, but they allowed you to have pretty much any size of a drop bag you want delivered to the finish area via UPS, so you could wear as many warm layers as you wanted until the race start. Drop bag drop-off and pick-up was relatively painless (except the pain in my quads). The one gripe I had with the organization was that there was no finish line clock that I saw, making it hard for both runners and spectators to judge the finish times. There was a snafu with the timing this year and 20 seconds was tacked onto the chip times, but the error was caught and the times adjusted within a few days of the event. The race shirt was a nicely designed dry fit t-shirt. The "medal" was a unique ceramic medallion with the race logo painted on it. If nothing else, it's the biggest medal I've gotten. Finishers also received a finisher print, which is a small poster of a watercolor painting of Poudre Canyon with the race logo and "2008 Finisher" printed on it. Don't expect many spectators, especially since the first 16 miles are virtually closed to traffic. There were small groups of spectators here and there between miles 17 and 26. The number of spectators along the final 0.2 and at the finish area made up somewhat for the lack early on, though. There were a lot of people packed into Old Town, cheering on the finishers. Overall, this is a great race with some nice scenery, great organization and, if you're ready for it, a fast course. Beware though: there's such a thing as too much downhill if you're not ready for it.
Patricia Boler from Amelia Island, Florida USA (5/8/2008) "Beautiful race in beautiful state!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I live at 2 feet above sea level, so I purposely sought out a race in Colorado that had a good deal of downhill running. The first 18 miles were downhill and spectacular! We saw our first spectators and then came a really big hill! It was tough, but with a water stop at the top, it was doable. The rest of the marathon was pretty flat. I didn't mind the small part on the highway, but the bike trail wasn't my favorite. There were some uneven sections and people just walking and biking. Overall, though, it was great! And I loved it!
A. B. from Colorado (5/6/2008) "Scenery was great, but first gel at mile 16 was NO" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 My second marathon. Scenery was WONDERFUL! Getting to the start 1 hour before time was COLD and DARK. Not fun. When I asked about the gel at mile 16, a volunteer told me it was too expensive. NOT impressive. Not when you're also attracting those of us who take 2-3 hours to get there. A bunch of kids were running at the finish when some of us were trying to make it in, and trying not to trip over them made it hard. I think it was poor planning. There was very little food at the end for those of us slower ones, too! Lots of kids looking like they at it, though! Very few spectators... not much community support for such a small town.
E. S. from Denver, CO (5/6/2008) "From grand to agonizing" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran this as my first marathon, and really enjoyed the first 20 miles. Despite the early, early start, the race began great. The sunrise was wonderful, there were good volunteers at all waterstops, and there was perfect weather. There wee no fans out for the first 15 miles, but it really wasn't bad, as the scenery was so spectacular. Unfortunately, the last 6 miles were very difficult. I bonked, but I don't think I would have bonked nearly as hard if we had not gone onto the bike path. The transition from asphalt to concrete was brutal, and the transition from a straight course with few gradual turns to the winding bike path was hard. As I was near the front, it was very difficult to have to pass so many people on the bike path. I was literally weaving back and forth along the path, at times squeezing by people. I dont blame the half marathoners; they were just running their race, and should not be expected to watch out for others flying by from behind. But if the bike course is going to be used, the half should start at 6 a.m. as well to create more room on the path. I also nearly got hit by a car 100 meters from the finish, as there were several vehicles parking/pulling out of parking spots. I'm glad I did the race, but would not do it again!
K. R. from Denver, Colorado (5/5/2008) "A Great Race Overall" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This course is very beautiful and overall well run. My one big gripe is there could be a more aid stations. After mile 23.2 they were every mile but before that they ranged from 1.5 miles to 3 miles (many were 2.2 to 2.8 miles apart.) It could be just me, since I've recently moved to Colorado and it is difficult to adjust to the dryness of the air, but I did hear other runners looking for water around the 20 mile mark. Like at the top of the one hill on the course would be wonderful. However, the stations they had were well stocked and the volunteers were great. Another thing to be aware of is that much of the first 16 miles have a slant to one side or the other, as the course is running along the river. It's beautiful but between the downhill and slant, my knees took a beating (and I had trained hills for this reason). The luxury buses to the start line are great compared to the school buses I've been on for other races. It's nice having the bathroom on board. All that being said, I loved the race. It was so beautiful that I didn't miss having many spectators, it was a smaller race, and the weather was great.
T. B. from Littleton, CO (5/5/2008) "Well done!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The first 16 or so miles were tremendous, with breathtaking views of Poudre Canyon. The last 6 miles on the bike path were a little bit brutal, but all in all this was a quality event with excellent organization. For the most part the course was well-marked and we had a lane of the highway to ourselves. As long as runners are prepared for little crowd support the during the race, especially the last 6 miles on the bike path, then this race isn't too tough. Despite the lack of crowd support, the volunteers were great. The only suggestion I would have is for this race to provide coffee and hot chocolate at the start; it is pretty darn cold once you get off the bus.

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