This was my first Denver Marathon and it was a great experience! The course is very good. Not as flat as I was expecting, but a good, honest course. I liked that there were plenty of aid stations and the volunteers and fans were outstanding! The packet pickup and expo were very nice and well organized. In fact, every aspect of the race was well organized. After the race, there was plenty of food and it was nice having the entire Civic Center park to stretch out and relax.

The negatives of the race were somewhat minor, but I had a few:

1. Put the aid stations slightly away from the mile markers. I was trying to track splits on my watch and grab cups of water at the same time, which was difficult.

2. How about a separate post-race massage tent solely for marathoners? I wanted to grab a massage afterward, but the half-marathoners were lined up out the door and there was no chance.

3. The quantity of port-a-potties hasn't kept up with the increased size of the race. There really weren't very many considering there were over 8,000 runners.

4. I know it's been beaten into the ground, but a tech shirt would be nice, even if there were an option to pay extra to get one.

I have no complaints. The organization was great. Plenty of water, Gatorade, and gel on the track. I will do it again!

I've done a bunch of half's and other races, but this was my first full, and it was great. Nice course hit the highlights of the city, parks and nice neighborhoods, but the ugly concrete section at mile 24 was a drag. Police did a GREAT job managing traffic. Chaotic start with insufficient entry gates to stage meant it took me 5 minutes to cross the start after the gun. I suggest better organized staging. TONS of aid stations; many more than originally posted, probably due to warm weather. Post-race food was feeble - just bagels, bananas and chips, and no Gatorade. Overall, a very fun race that I would do again.

This was my first Colorado marathon (8th total). I had the benefit of running back to my hotel to use the bathroom, but the porto-let line was huge! I doubt most people actually made it to the front of the line. My biggest complaint was the way the course was billed as flat, with little or no elevation change. The elevation map and course proved differently. I would still have run it, but the organizers should be honest about it. It was a challenging run on a beautiful day. Overall, a great run.

I should say first that my only comparison is the 2007 Portland Marathon (which was also a blast). This marathon was an enjoyable experience.

Pros
1. Great course. Extremely flat course with lots of loooooooooong, gradual downhills that didn't wreck my legs.
2. Plenty of water - 18 stations I think? Dehydration should not be a problem on this course.
3. Great fans. Running through neighborhoods and parks made it very fan-friendly.
4. The finish area in the park was a very nice place for people to gather afterward.

Suggestions
1. I hate to run this into the ground, but another cotton shirt? It's a nice shirt, but for a $105-entry fee, I think a tech shirt isn't too much to ask.
2. Gatorade - it's very sweet. Personally, I would prefer something less sweet, like Heed.

But once again, the important thing is the course, and I thought this one was excellent.

While a marathon team can't control weather (i.e., Denver Marathon 2007!), they can do everything else right. In this case the stars lined up and Denver was treated to perfect race weather, excellent organization, great volunteer support, nice crowds, good expo, good race hotel (very accommodating for late check-out, etc.).

Medal - excellent: cool, clean design.
T-shirt - good graphics but you get spoiled with the tech t-shirts at many races, so the 100% cotton isn't exciting.

Run this one if you can!

This was my first marathon and I have to say it was so much fun. The staff were awesome and so supportive. As was the crowd. It was very well organized and you could not get a more beautiful course in Denver.

Had a great time in Denver. Even with brutal weather conditions, this was one of my favorite marathons. Given the challenges Denver has had in recent years, I was skeptical. How wrong I was. We stayed at the Adam's Mark downtown and enjoyed a great weekend with a great race. I would HIGHLY recommend this one. First-class event.

This was my first race ever! I ran the half. I thought the organization was wonderful and the volunteers were so encouraging. The thing that kept me going was a spectator who called out my name and said, "Today is your day!" I'll never forget that, and thanks to him, I didn't quit. I had thought about it after my fingers went numb because of the rain, cold, and wind.

When I got to Denver I had no problems getting anywhere; the people were very nice in giving directions and the attractions were awesome. If you want to go run in the State of Colorado, RUN DENVER!