Fantastic first running of the Estes Park Marathon. ChalleNging and beautiful! A true destination marathon. After the marathon, you can spend the week hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, and enjoy beautiful and friendly Estes Park. Great Marathon!

This was my 24th marathon and by far the most difficult. It was also by far the most beautiful! Even more breathtaking than Steamboat, which I have run several times. There were long (3-5 mile) up-hills and some screaming down-hills, and the high altitude really makes you watch your pace. You can tell by the relatively slow times that everyone had to pace themselves carefully. I wouldn't recommend this marathon to a first-timer, but for everyone else...you shouldn't miss this one! The views are amazing. Majestic Rocky Mountain peaks loom around every turn. The famous Stanley Hotel turns up late in the race. Even the section of the course that runs just one block away from the main street through town is pretty and a nice change of pace from the rest of the course. I will definitely be back.

If you're looking for a high altitude course with beautiful scenery and non-stop hills, this is it. I ran the half marathon and overall the race was well planned and organized for a first-time event. The course lacked marshalls toward the end around the lake and several runners went off course. If you're the type of runner who needs people cheering you on... forget about it! If you enjoy racing in solitude then you'll love it. All in all, however, it was a great day. I hope to be back next year! Nice job, Rick.

Beautiful scenery of the Rocky Mountains. Great finisher's medal. Very challenging course. Be prepared for high altitude and long climbs up, but you are running in the Rocky Mountains so that is to be expected. Would certainly do it again. This has potential to be a great marathon.

Organization on this marathon matched that of many of the large established marathons. The course is challenging but spectacular. Best scenery of the 20 or so marathons I've run. There are 2 large hills. Go very slow up the hill from miles 2-6 or you will pay for it on the next hill. Plan on an extra 20-30 minutes to run this marathon. Not a lot of spectators but a lot of cheering volunteers on the course. Traffic control was great where needed. Plenty of room to run. Aid stations well organized and well staffed. Weather got a little iffy after the race so I missed the awards.

Really enjoyed the race and the town. I want to thank everyone who stayed and worked all the aid stations and intersections even though the weather was horrible. The course was challenging at miles 17 and 18 -- seemed like it would not end. Looking forward to it again.

This is my second marathon and first marathon in altitude. I live in GA, and was a bit intimidated by the elevation. But, I took it slow and focused on my breathing.

The scenery is the most beautiful I have ever seen and the weather was just perfect for a marathon.
The aid stations were remarkable as they had fruit, energy drink, and water at EVERY stop. The volunteers were super! I wanted a banana at the mile 25 aid station but couldn't stop my legs (for fear they may not restart). A volunteer actually grabbed a banana and ran up to give it to me!

There are almost no fans and the course has some hills that go on for over a mile. But, it was a wonderful race to take nice and slow and enjoy the beauty!