This was a good race, and there were definitely difficult parts that were to be expected in Colorado. The altitude and heat were a lot more challenging than I thought. The course, start time, and organization of the mile markers left much to be expected.

I was fooled by the hype about the new race director, new sponsors, new traffic flow, etc. Unfortunately its the same miserable race with the worst organizers imaginable. Why? First of all, they have not given promised medals to many of the winners for several years now - including 2009!

Need more? How about running out of water, only filling the cups 1/4 full, and running out of food. I still have three scars on my ankle from the chip timer that cut me - that's never happened to me after over 50 races. Need more? The late start in a hot September under dusty conditions can really compound the lack-of-water problem. Several dozen finishers actually refused to accept the medal at the finish out of protest. The race director never even showed his face the day of the event.

I have been racing for 25+ years (second marathon, lots of halfs, etc.), and this was by far the most poorly organized race I've run. The heat was a factor, and not the fault of the organizers, but they were unprepared. An email was sent out claiming that it was much hotter than predicted, but that is not the case. I watched the weather all week and it was clear that it was going to be very hot for a marathon. With that knowledge, I went equipped with water, and I'm glad I did. But racers should not have to carry their own water and/or have family meet them along the way for more water in order to complete a race. We have paid a substantial entry fee. Running out of water, which happened at several stations, is just not acceptable. The relay race also introduced some problems: Vans carrying runners to their transition points kicked up dirt, slowed down right in front of runners, and blew their horns at marathoners (!) and the relay racers stood in the middle of the road waiting for their teammates, forcing marathoners to literally push through the crowd. Cresting the last big climb, just after 20 miles, I had to shoulder my way through runners just standing in the way.

Please, start the race earlier (I'd rather deal with parking in the dark then running in the heat), make sure you have adequate supplies (hey, aim for having too much water, and food at the finish), and nix the relay - it's a menace. The shirt and hat are nice, but that's pretty much all that was good.

Even though this year was my best time for the three Boulder Marathons I have run, the experience was the worst. Moving the start from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. makes no sense at this time of year in Colorado. It gets too hot and there were more ambulances leaving with sirens on than I have ever seen. Some of the aid stations were out of water or Gatorade in heat that hit the mid-80s. We stood around and waited for the delayed start while they put together the start/finish line apparatus, all while the temperature rose. The Velcro band with the timing chip for your ankle ended up leaving me with a cut just above my shoe line so I switched ankles mid-race. I saw others who just removed theirs entirely. Then, the run up to the finish line was really poor, through a parking lot in a field, not on a path, trail or road, with three 90-degree turns, and you could not see the finish line until you were right on top of it. The finish line chute has been different all three years that I have run. Can't they get this figured out? There was very little to eat at the finish but I did find enough water there.

The course is beautiful and the Buffalo Gold beer tasted great at the finish, but the organization and logistics are poor and I won't be doing the Boulder Marathon again.

Parking was pretty far from the start. The start line wasn't obvious until only a couple of minutes before the race, and it was delayed since they didn't even have the start/finish line up. The weather was hot, and they RAN OUT OF WATER! And some stations ran out of cups. Absolutely no excuse! I saw the hardcore runners walking a lot more than usual.

With the relay situation, it meant a lot of traffic on the dirt roads, which kicked up rocks and dust and was an extra pain in the butt.

To add insult to injury, for the slower runners the post-race food was PITIFUL! Green bananas, sliced bread, cold cereal, and some oranges. Beer was packed up. There were no chairs or places to sit other than the ground.

I ran this as a half in '08 and a full in '09. The organizers made a big deal about how good the food would be in '09. Wrong! I finished over 4 hours, and all they had were some white buns and weak bagels. "Real" food? Pizzas you could BUY for $1. Are you kidding? For your $80+ fee you don't get food? I would have paid at that point, but DUH. I don't carry cash during a race and my car was parked too far away to go get it. VERY disappointing. Medical support looked good, however, as I saw at least a half-dozen people being treated, likely for heat-related injuries. They should start the marathon at 7, not 8.

This was my first marathon so I am in no way qualified to rate it as compared to other marathons. I had no problems figuring out where everything was and I felt like there was always enough water/Gatorade/fuel. It was super hot and sunny, but I trained for that because I know how Colorado is; September can be wicked hot or freezing cold.

This was my first half-marathon experience, and I was shocked to find that they were OUT of water at both the 5-mile-mark and the finish line. I wouldn't be surprised if people passed out. Looks like I need to start running with my own water supply. Disappointing organization. You should NEVER run out of water. EVER.

The race started at 9 a.m., but needs to move back to 8 a.m. like last year. The heat was an issue this year and the late start only made things worse. Also, it's Tuesday and no results are up? The ankle straps that we had to wear for timing were really uncomfortable; I preferred the chip that goes on your shoe like last year.

Otherwise, everything else was nice. I loved the t-shirt, parking was easy, and there was a good assortment of food.

Whew! This was a tough one! I've never run in such heat, but the next day it was 50 degrees, windy, and rainy, so I guess we were lucky. The hills and altitude were overwhelming for a flat-lander from Illinois. Yes, some water shortages were a problem, but handing out bottles of water worked great. Carrying that water bottle and knowing that I had water at all times was reassuring in the 80-degree heat. I wished for food at the end that wasn't the same as what I found throughout the race, but there was still food for old, slow people like me!

I loved the dirt/gravel roads, the open space, the views, and the countryside. As a trail runner, this was perfect.

This was the most difficult race of my 20 marathons, but I would recommend it.