Had run the half several times before. The full had a field of under 400 runners which made aid stations very easy to get fluid at. Spaceing of aid stations was perfect for me. The stations are closer together on the second half of the course.
If you were patient on the downhills early and saved something for the last 6 tough miles you prob. enjoy this race. It was very important to be well trained for both downhill and uphill running. If your training was all about running fast and flat this course would chew you up badly. It got warm near the end, maybe 80, on the asphalt, but again if you trained for the heat and ran smartly, not a problem.

With the temps and hills I would not recommend this race for a first timer or anyone that takes much more than 4 hours to complete the race.

Despite the overall net drop, elevations are in the 7000's and the ups and downs, etc.. make this far from an ideal course to think about pr s on.

The only thing this race has lost on lately are the quality of awards for placing runners. I did not see any prizes that would not find their way to the trash can pretty quickly.

Fantastic race in a great location. Weather was ideal in 2012, bus transport to the start was well organized. Aid stations were fun and well stocked, great volunteers. A brutal & long hill at mile 22. Overall a great race, one I hope to do again!

This was my first marathon. Definitely glad I did it, but probably wouldn't recommend it to other first time marathoners. I did it was 4 other first time marathoners and we all thought it was HARD. For a downhill course, there sure is a lot of uphill. I had expected much more downhill and had trained mostly for that, but I wish I had done a lot more uphill training.
Since reading other reviews, I took a pack and was glad I did since the aid stations were far apart. The people at the aide stations were very nice though. It was over 80F when I finished the marathon, and that heat and the hill between miles 18 and 22... man it was rough.
I ran my 20 miles in just under 4 hours and felt great afterwards. This took me more or less the ENTIRE 5 hours and 30 min which I was not expecting...
The course is beautiful, even though sometimes it smells like cow.
All in all, glad I did it. Wouldn't have chosen it for a first marathon if I knew it would be THAT challenging. All 5 of us finished.

The race was well-organized and I felt like everything went very smoothly. The course is beautiful, as advertised, though a bit hillier than I expected (the smallish hills are dwarfed in the elevation profile by the large descent between miles 4 and 6-ish, but they seem a bit bigger when you're climbing up them). The aid station workers were enthusiastic, well-organized, and helpful. Really a nice race overall. My only real complaint is the spacing of the aid stations - as the temperature rose through the mid-70s, it would have been nice to have aid a little more frequently than every ~3 miles on the back end.

The most beautiful course I've ever run but know the only course support will be the aid stations. It's hard for spectators get get around the course so it's you and your fellow runners. I ran a lot of miles alone except when someone caught me or I caught someone which was fine for me. The scenery kept me occupied. While the course is downhill, there are a few strategically placed inclines which will be challenging. The variation was probably good for the quads. My advice would be to carry water. This was my first high altitude race and I was encourage at packet pick up to carry water and I'm glad I did. They could have used a few more water stops.

I'm not sure why anyone would think the marathon catered to elite runners. I'm not an elite runner and didn't get that impression at all. If you're pushing the 6 hour time limit, the post race event may have been sparse but I thought the post race scene was very good, especially for a small race. If you like small marathons, give it a try. If you like big marathons, give it a try and you might prefer smaller races after running this marathon.

This was a great marathon - but it wasn't the marathon for me. I had a feeling from reading the website that the marathon catered to more of an elite runner. Having only just over 360 runners in the marathon made it painfully obvious if you weren't a faster runner. That being said, the event itself was wonderful (despite my performance). The volunteers were great and very supportive. There could have been more restrooms at the bus pick-up. I found out later that there were more there, but most everybody was lined up behind the only one we saw. The shirts were fairly plain. If Steamboat wants more participation in the marathon, they should cater to regular athletes. If they want to make it an elite event, that should be noted more specifically on the website.

What a fantastic, small, marathon. There is really no expo to speak of, but packet pick up was a breeze. The transportation to the start was easy to access and the driver let us stay on the bus rather than stand around for an hour in the cold. The course is definitely a challenge. Some of the downhills are pretty extreme in the first half, and then the rolling hills in the second half are tough. However, this was all expected, so I'm not complaining! There was a huge swing in temperatures from start to finish (low 30's to mid 70's), so being able to check gear easily was nice. The aid stations are farther apart than usual for a marathon. The first one was at 3 miles, then there wasn't another one until almost mile 7! I carried a small bottle with me, and that helped a lot, but it would be nice to have a few more aid stations, especially when it got warm in the second half. There really are no spectators (other than the enthusiastic aid station volunteers!) until the last mile in town, and the field really thins out, so I ran about 25 miles pretty much by myself. However, I expected this and actually enjoy this kind of race. The course is incredibly beautiful! Finally, the town of Steamboat Springs was a great host for this event, and it's a nice place to hang out before and after the race. I would highly recommend this one.

This marathon has been around for a while now (this was year 30). It seems they have really nailed down some aspects, yet need work on a few others. The bussing to the start was great. Very well organized, easy to access and nice busses. The start and finish areas were well organized, and the bag-drop was nice. The course had several porto-potties which came in handy.
As far as improvements; I did not get a t-shirt this year! Well, I could have gotten a mens XL, which is way too big or a small which wont work either. How hard is it to set aside the shirt for those who pre-registered? I arrived at the Expo on Saturday afternoon and there was nothing left? Now sure who was in charge of this, but I think its not acceptable.
The course is tough - steep descents in the beginning and some really small rolling 'hills' in the 2nd half. Be prepared for a cold start but warming rapidly. Use the gear trucks!
Overall, its basic and beautiful. If you like paved roads then you have it made. I prefer trails, but I knew this coming into the race. We had dinner at Riggio's the night before and would certainly recommend it (Lincoln and 11th Ave, I think).

This was my 28th marathon. The fresh mountian air and scenery were memorable. Packet pickup was in a small ski lodge near downtown with friendly staff. At the expo, I asked about their plans to address the previous year's complaint about insufficient water stations, I was assured that the aid stations are up this year. I agree with other runners' comments that, at high altitude with 80+ degrees, the last few miles should have aid stations every half-mile, especially towards town in midday sun. One aid station had water cups laid on the ground. How about a foldable table or even tailgate? I was also surprised by lack of fruit pieces such as banana or oranges on the course. Other marathons with far more moderate temps and no elevation provided more drink and food aid stations. The race shirt was a cotton tee - pretty useless - while the nicer tech tee with better design asks for $20, and long-sleeve is even more. Why can't marathoners get the nicer tee? I haven't got a cotton tee in a long time in a marathon. Another big disappointment was the finish-line food, or lack thereof. I grabbed a brown "lunch" bag at the finish. When I dug into it, I found the "sandwich" was a gooey mess, and the cheap, white bread had become a paste in the hot sun. Were these made the night before? Totally inedible. There was no yogurt, juice, or sports drinks at the finish. Just bottled water.

All in all, I think the race was great, CO is probably the most beautiful state in the lower 48, and while in town, I chanced upon the Friday night Art Walk, and met some local artists and had some nice snacks. Very friendly people. I found the local CO runners very fit and friendly.

This was my 35th marathon and was one of the best. It was the most scenic. The only problem is only having 10 aid/water stations over 26.2 miles. Most marathons have one every mile. With the temperatures over 80 near the end, water was badly needed for the last 6 to 8 miles. Why not have more stations during the last 8 miles, or give out bottles of water? If you carry a bottle, who wants to stop and fill it with 5-10 cups of water? Other than the lack of aid stations, everything else was close to perfect.