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Marathon Details - Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)

North America Marathons > USA > CO > Fort Collins > Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)

Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)

Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) & Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

Fort Collins, CO USA

May 4, 2025

http://www.comarathon.com

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Race Details

SUMMARY. America's top Boston qualifier for % of finishers that qualify for Boston. Named by Runners World as America's Most Scenic Marathon in 2008. Voted Best Marathon in the Rocky Mountain Region by Competitor Magazine in 2013. Also, the event has other distances: half marathon, 10K, and 5K.

The Colorado Marathon offers an extraordinary running experience through the breathtaking Poudre Canyon and Fort Collins. This race, known for its scenic beauty and exceptional organization, begins at an elevation of around 6,000 feet and descends along the Poudre River, providing runners with stunning views of green peaks, a steady river, and ample shade.

The marathon course is predominantly downhill, making it ideal for setting personal records, though the altitude can be challenging for those not accustomed to it. The route features minimal inclines, with the most significant uphill section at mile 19. This combination of downhill running and spectacular scenery makes the first 17 miles particularly enjoyable. The race then flattens out as it approaches the town, where spectators and volunteers provide much-needed encouragement.

The finish line in Fort Collins is lively, with enthusiastic crowds and a variety of food trucks and local craft beers. The post-race atmosphere is festive, with live music and plenty of seating for runners to relax and celebrate their achievements.

The race swag includes a bright neon Brooks tech shirt and a medal featuring the Colorado state flag and a bottle opener, adding a unique touch to the mementos. Overall, the Colorado Marathon is a fantastic race that combines natural beauty with excellent organization, making it a must-run event for marathon enthusiasts.

Contact Information

Name:	Logan Martin
Address:	Colorado Marathon PO BOX 371833 Denver CO, 80237
Phone Number:	720-236-4338
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (118)

Course 4.4

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.1

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Number of comments: 118 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 12 > ]

Kirsten Hamilton from Ridgway, Colorado (10/29/2021) "Highly recommend this beautiful, well-run race!!" (about: 2021) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2021 Colorado Marathon was a well-organized, lovely race through the Poudre Canyon and Fort Collins in northern Colorado. Packet pick-up was easy and straight forward with plenty of parking. There were great freebies like Hearts of Hemp and koozies. The t-shirt was long sleeved with a cool logo. I scouted out the parking situation the night before the race using the information from the race website, which included a helpful map of the parking sites. I'm glad I went the night before, because google maps gave me roundabout directions that had me going through the middle of very busy streets full of pedestrians. To give you perspective, I was coming from La Quinta by I25. I imagine others will use the hotels along I14. All you have to do is continue down this road, which turns into W Mulberry, and then take a right on Remington St. It was super easy to get to and there was plenty of parking on race day. Buses were close to the parking and lined up along Mountain Ave. Again, easy to find and well-organized. It's about a 45 minute bus ride up to the start line. I HIGHLY recommend you bring warm clothes and/or a blanket with you. Depending on which bus you catch, you could potentially wait about an hour at the start before the race begins. It was pretty cold and I was lucky I had lots of layers. It was easy to drop off your bag (as well as get it at the finish line). You're allowed to eat/drink on the bus and they have bathrooms. At the start, there were also lots of port-a-potties and free coffee/water. The race starts up in the canyon and you follow along a river the whole time. It's a peaceful decent into the valley. You're always going downhill but it's never steep. I should note that the road was canted for a decent amount of the canyon. At least for me, this aggravated my nagging tendon issues. Things level off in the valley, and then, you weave your way through the town parks. It's an awesome way to tour Fort Collins by starting in nature and ending in the cute downtown area. I never pay attention to the parties at the end. I'm pretty sure I heard a band playing. There were tons of food trucks and beer vouchers. It looked fun! From the race director to the participants, everyone involved with the race were fantastic. Everyone was friendly and encouraging. I had problems getting into the marathon, and the race director went above and beyond helping me. You could always count on water and Nuun appearing every 1-2 miles. There were no fans in the canyon due to the logistics of closing off the road, but there were lots of fans along the valley/town section. The race's motto was to leave the course looking better than when it started. Racers were respectful and there was minimal litter along the course. Overall, it was an awesome race! I loved the relative solitude the first part of the race brought. I was able to truly take in the beauty of the canyon without working hard due to the steady decline. The dreaded "wall" came right when the majority of fans appeared to carry you to the end. Again, the organization and thoughtfulness that went into this race were top notch. Combined with the beauty of the course and the friendly people involved, this is a marathon not to be missed!!
M. S. from GA (10/26/2021) "Beautiful course, well organized, friendly race!" (about: 2021) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I loved this race! The fall color and temps made for a great experience. Volunteers on the course were enthusiastic and encouraging (and they were the primary 'spectators'). I wished I had brought a space-blanket to the start to wrap up in; it was chilly! I was glad I had a water-bottle with me on the course - the water breaks were frequent, but I wanted hydration between the stops and refilled my bottle frequently. The hill that started around mile 17 seemed to go on forever - not a complaint, just something to be aware of. Not a steep hill, but long. I am a back-of-the-pack runner (came in among the last 10 runners!) and there was plenty of food left. Due to the downhill and great weather conditions I was able to finish just under the 6 hr cutoff. Race was well organized; easy to get to start, and easy for spectators/family to meet you at the finish.
K. C. from Lansing, MI (5/12/2019) "Downhill all the way!" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 They bus you out to the starting line at 4:30am. You start at relatively high altitude (6300 ft) but it's literally downhill the whole way, and I felt fine, even coming from Michigan. It was flat and hot the last 7 miles or so. I was very pleased with the whole experience and I would recommend this marathon to any 50 staters for their CO marathon.
J. Y. from Centerville, OH (5/11/2017) "Great scenery with a few areas to improve" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall, I really enjoyed this race. The miles through the canyon were beautiful and flew by. Other positives: easy expo, the most organized porta potty volunteers I've ever seen at the start (plus urinals for the guys to keep the lines moving faster), and a good number of water stops with some volunteers wearing signs stating if they had water or nuun. The big negative for me was the finish, specifically the post-race food. This was a comment on reviews from previous years, so I was expecting it, but some sliced fruit, cookies and water is really not sufficient for a race this size and distance. I heard there were also bagels, but they were gone by the time we finished (5+ hours due to the heat). It's a shame to let that be the final impression runners have of the race. A restaurant near the finish gave out pizza during the post-race party, so maybe that's why organizers don't provide much at the finish line, but I still think this needs improvement. Also, one thing to be aware of - the road up to the start is windy, so if you're easily carsick like me, that could be an issue - I was a little queasy until a few miles into the run. It obviously can't be avoided and the course was worth it in my opinion. The buses were really nice luxury coaches, not school buses, so it could be worse.
Gary Jording from Toledo Ohio (5/10/2017) "Beautiful Colorado" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 + First 15 miles were just beautiful and soothing with the sound of the river through the mountains. The decline was easy,'just don't ride the brakes' + It's Colorado! I love Colorado! + Expo and host hotel were enjoyable. + Buses to the start were great! The organizers were awesome and friendly! - I hate concrete! I thought all runners hated concrete. The last 6 miles when the legs are tired... - Where's the water? From miles 15-21 I was looking for water! I did, however, love the experience and the thrill of running in the mountains.
T. Y. from Centerville, OH (5/9/2017) "Overall good race" (about: 2017) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall this was a good race. Things I felt were positive: well organized - particularly the shuttles to the start and most aid station volunteers wore signs indicating water or electrolyte drink. It was a very pretty course, particularly the first 18ish miles in the canyon beside the Poudre river. Some negatives to me were narrow running lane in the canyon shared with two way vehicle traffic which made passing difficult and very limited post race food (apple/orange slices, bananas, and cookies). There may have been bagels earlier, but unfortunately we had a slower race than planned. There wasn't a lot of crowd support early due to the nature of the road/course, but that wasn't a big deal to me. The spectators later were enthusiastic. There were train tracks within the last .2 mile of the race, so if you're trying to BQ, be aware there is a chance to get stopped by a train.
B. N. from Rockville, MD USA (5/9/2017) "Big Al's comments on Colorado Marathon" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The expo was pretty lame and very small. They were also asking $60 for a simple plain tech event t-shirt that only said 'Run CO' or 'Colorado Marathon' on them, that's it, hence my 1-star rating. The first half of the course was simply awesome. Very scenic with a slight grade. No spectators were allowed here, so that's that. The second half got hilly, especially around mile 17. The course profile does not do justice with regards to his hill. It was steep and looong. The last 5 miles were on a concrete bike path with nothing to look at. This section was extremely boring and I could not wait for it to end. The finisher's medal was just OK and the finish line festivities were just fine. I would not recommend this race to anyone, unless you need Colorado for your 50 states.
J. W. from Windsor, Colorado (5/6/2016) "Beautiful run, enthusiastic spectators" (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 16 miles through the canyon were beautiful and it was a very nice run. It was about 35° and a light snow, but not sticking to the surface. No spectators allowed in the canyon, but the aid station volunteers made up for it with enthusiastic cheering as we passed through. After the canyon, the spectators were positioned in pockets through the remaining miles, but were loud, encouraging and enthusiastic. The last 5 miles of the race are pretty utilitarian, running along a bike trail with nothing really to look at along the way. This is common for many longer races in Fort Collins, and I sure wish they'd change that. There have got to be nice places to run to get to Old Town. Race organization was great, transportation to the start was excellent. The race expo was small. The after race events seemed fun, but I left pretty quick because my quads were destroyed from the canyon and I needed to get off of them :) Overall, I really enjoyed this run and will most likely do it again in the future.
E. G. from Salt Lake, UT (5/5/2016) "Scenic, well-organized downhill race" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 In short, I really enjoyed my experience at the Colorado Marathon. I ran this race primarily to run a marathon in Colorado. The Fort Collins area is pretty low-stress and an easy race to navigate. I had no problems finding nearby hotels and parking on race morning. The ride to the start of the course (at the top of a canyon) was long (maybe 40 minutes), but luckily it was in style; they had coach buses equipped with bathrooms. It was quite a bit colder at the top and there wasn't really any place to sit other than the wet / cold ground. So be prepared for whatever the weather situation holds. I felt like they had ample bathrooms at the start but of course right before the race the lines were long. The first 15 miles or so are a gentle downhill following the Poudre River. It was a beautiful morning and traffic was limited up the canyon. Other than the initial mile or so, there was ample room to get on pace and not be hemmed in. This was the best part of the race and I was stunned by the natural beauty. Judging from previous comments, it appears this year they dedicated a section of the road entirely for runners. I did not feel threatened by passing cars. The final miles are on a concrete bike trail, which was unforgiving but still scenic. Course support included water and Nuun roughly every 2 miles. I would argue they need a carbohydrate based drink. Gels didn't come until mile 18, so be sure to carry your own. The finish line had water and fruit. I was hoping for something more substantial. There were vendors with samples though. Volunteers were on the ball, friendly and well organized. Mile markers were spot on, although I felt the last .2 of a mile was way long. The race expo was fairly modest and it was an easy packet pickup. The shirt was a technical one but sort of a rough material. I bought an older 2013 shirt and liked that material better. I really liked the dedicated marathon finisher's medal. Fan support was better than I expected. A good crowd was still there pushing me to the finish well after the half marathoners were done and gone. My only gripe was the price of the race. I registered somewhat late and it was over $150. I suspect the cost of the park service and luxury buses made it costly, but it was one of the more expensive races I've done. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a fast course, a scenic route or to take Colorado off your state's list. I was very happy with my experience from start to finish.
J. A. from Colorado Springs, CO (10/19/2015) "Just OK" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I have run this race twice, in 2014 and 2015. Most of my comments echo what others have said, but I'll say them anyway. Course 1. The first 16 miles of the course are indeed beautiful. 2. However... the last 8 are flat to rolling and are mostly run along highways that are not closed, or on a concrete bike path. At one point organizers had to direct traffic and let highway traffic cross the path of the runners. 3. The course isn't as fast as you may think, because the fast part of the course is the beginning. Ideally you take it slow in the beginning and pick up the pace several miles in. But you can't afford to do that here or you waste the first miles when it is really downhill and fast. I ended up crashing to some degree at the end of both years that I ran because of this. Organization 1. The bus pickup and drop-off were very well organized. 2. The biggest negative of organization is the limited water stops in the last miles of the race. In both 2014 and 2015 it was hotter than normal, with 2015 being very hot. They need more water stops in the latter part of the race, as at that point you are out in the open sun. There are several water stop gaps of 2 miles or more at the end. This is easily correctable. 3. As others have said, they really botched the logo and sponsor design in 2014 for the medals and shirts, but they corrected that error in 2015. But that error in 2014 was heinous and inexcusable really for a race of this size. 4. Also, limited food at the end of the race in 2015. I really don't understand this. No banana. No bagel. I ended up getting a bowl of oatmeal from a vendor free of charge. Not the post race fuel I'm used to. Spectators If you are looking for spectators lining the course, this isn't your race. It's not Chicago. Spectators were there where opportunity arose but with the course in the canyon and along busy roads it's really difficult for spectators. I do not plan on running this race again.

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Kirsten Hamilton from Ridgway, Colorado (10/29/2021) "Highly recommend this beautiful, well-run race!!" (about: 2021) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2021 Colorado Marathon was a well-organized, lovely race through the Poudre Canyon and Fort Collins in northern Colorado. Packet pick-up was easy and straight forward with plenty of parking. There were great freebies like Hearts of Hemp and koozies. The t-shirt was long sleeved with a cool logo. I scouted out the parking situation the night before the race using the information from the race website, which included a helpful map of the parking sites. I'm glad I went the night before, because google maps gave me roundabout directions that had me going through the middle of very busy streets full of pedestrians. To give you perspective, I was coming from La Quinta by I25. I imagine others will use the hotels along I14. All you have to do is continue down this road, which turns into W Mulberry, and then take a right on Remington St. It was super easy to get to and there was plenty of parking on race day. Buses were close to the parking and lined up along Mountain Ave. Again, easy to find and well-organized. It's about a 45 minute bus ride up to the start line. I HIGHLY recommend you bring warm clothes and/or a blanket with you. Depending on which bus you catch, you could potentially wait about an hour at the start before the race begins. It was pretty cold and I was lucky I had lots of layers. It was easy to drop off your bag (as well as get it at the finish line). You're allowed to eat/drink on the bus and they have bathrooms. At the start, there were also lots of port-a-potties and free coffee/water. The race starts up in the canyon and you follow along a river the whole time. It's a peaceful decent into the valley. You're always going downhill but it's never steep. I should note that the road was canted for a decent amount of the canyon. At least for me, this aggravated my nagging tendon issues. Things level off in the valley, and then, you weave your way through the town parks. It's an awesome way to tour Fort Collins by starting in nature and ending in the cute downtown area. I never pay attention to the parties at the end. I'm pretty sure I heard a band playing. There were tons of food trucks and beer vouchers. It looked fun! From the race director to the participants, everyone involved with the race were fantastic. Everyone was friendly and encouraging. I had problems getting into the marathon, and the race director went above and beyond helping me. You could always count on water and Nuun appearing every 1-2 miles. There were no fans in the canyon due to the logistics of closing off the road, but there were lots of fans along the valley/town section. The race's motto was to leave the course looking better than when it started. Racers were respectful and there was minimal litter along the course. Overall, it was an awesome race! I loved the relative solitude the first part of the race brought. I was able to truly take in the beauty of the canyon without working hard due to the steady decline. The dreaded "wall" came right when the majority of fans appeared to carry you to the end. Again, the organization and thoughtfulness that went into this race were top notch. Combined with the beauty of the course and the friendly people involved, this is a marathon not to be missed!!
M. S. from GA (10/26/2021) "Beautiful course, well organized, friendly race!" (about: 2021) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I loved this race! The fall color and temps made for a great experience. Volunteers on the course were enthusiastic and encouraging (and they were the primary 'spectators'). I wished I had brought a space-blanket to the start to wrap up in; it was chilly! I was glad I had a water-bottle with me on the course - the water breaks were frequent, but I wanted hydration between the stops and refilled my bottle frequently. The hill that started around mile 17 seemed to go on forever - not a complaint, just something to be aware of. Not a steep hill, but long. I am a back-of-the-pack runner (came in among the last 10 runners!) and there was plenty of food left. Due to the downhill and great weather conditions I was able to finish just under the 6 hr cutoff. Race was well organized; easy to get to start, and easy for spectators/family to meet you at the finish.
K. C. from Lansing, MI (5/12/2019) "Downhill all the way!" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 They bus you out to the starting line at 4:30am. You start at relatively high altitude (6300 ft) but it's literally downhill the whole way, and I felt fine, even coming from Michigan. It was flat and hot the last 7 miles or so. I was very pleased with the whole experience and I would recommend this marathon to any 50 staters for their CO marathon.
J. Y. from Centerville, OH (5/11/2017) "Great scenery with a few areas to improve" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall, I really enjoyed this race. The miles through the canyon were beautiful and flew by. Other positives: easy expo, the most organized porta potty volunteers I've ever seen at the start (plus urinals for the guys to keep the lines moving faster), and a good number of water stops with some volunteers wearing signs stating if they had water or nuun. The big negative for me was the finish, specifically the post-race food. This was a comment on reviews from previous years, so I was expecting it, but some sliced fruit, cookies and water is really not sufficient for a race this size and distance. I heard there were also bagels, but they were gone by the time we finished (5+ hours due to the heat). It's a shame to let that be the final impression runners have of the race. A restaurant near the finish gave out pizza during the post-race party, so maybe that's why organizers don't provide much at the finish line, but I still think this needs improvement. Also, one thing to be aware of - the road up to the start is windy, so if you're easily carsick like me, that could be an issue - I was a little queasy until a few miles into the run. It obviously can't be avoided and the course was worth it in my opinion. The buses were really nice luxury coaches, not school buses, so it could be worse.
Gary Jording from Toledo Ohio (5/10/2017) "Beautiful Colorado" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 + First 15 miles were just beautiful and soothing with the sound of the river through the mountains. The decline was easy,'just don't ride the brakes' + It's Colorado! I love Colorado! + Expo and host hotel were enjoyable. + Buses to the start were great! The organizers were awesome and friendly! - I hate concrete! I thought all runners hated concrete. The last 6 miles when the legs are tired... - Where's the water? From miles 15-21 I was looking for water! I did, however, love the experience and the thrill of running in the mountains.
T. Y. from Centerville, OH (5/9/2017) "Overall good race" (about: 2017) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall this was a good race. Things I felt were positive: well organized - particularly the shuttles to the start and most aid station volunteers wore signs indicating water or electrolyte drink. It was a very pretty course, particularly the first 18ish miles in the canyon beside the Poudre river. Some negatives to me were narrow running lane in the canyon shared with two way vehicle traffic which made passing difficult and very limited post race food (apple/orange slices, bananas, and cookies). There may have been bagels earlier, but unfortunately we had a slower race than planned. There wasn't a lot of crowd support early due to the nature of the road/course, but that wasn't a big deal to me. The spectators later were enthusiastic. There were train tracks within the last .2 mile of the race, so if you're trying to BQ, be aware there is a chance to get stopped by a train.
B. N. from Rockville, MD USA (5/9/2017) "Big Al's comments on Colorado Marathon" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The expo was pretty lame and very small. They were also asking $60 for a simple plain tech event t-shirt that only said 'Run CO' or 'Colorado Marathon' on them, that's it, hence my 1-star rating. The first half of the course was simply awesome. Very scenic with a slight grade. No spectators were allowed here, so that's that. The second half got hilly, especially around mile 17. The course profile does not do justice with regards to his hill. It was steep and looong. The last 5 miles were on a concrete bike path with nothing to look at. This section was extremely boring and I could not wait for it to end. The finisher's medal was just OK and the finish line festivities were just fine. I would not recommend this race to anyone, unless you need Colorado for your 50 states.
J. W. from Windsor, Colorado (5/6/2016) "Beautiful run, enthusiastic spectators" (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 16 miles through the canyon were beautiful and it was a very nice run. It was about 35° and a light snow, but not sticking to the surface. No spectators allowed in the canyon, but the aid station volunteers made up for it with enthusiastic cheering as we passed through. After the canyon, the spectators were positioned in pockets through the remaining miles, but were loud, encouraging and enthusiastic. The last 5 miles of the race are pretty utilitarian, running along a bike trail with nothing really to look at along the way. This is common for many longer races in Fort Collins, and I sure wish they'd change that. There have got to be nice places to run to get to Old Town. Race organization was great, transportation to the start was excellent. The race expo was small. The after race events seemed fun, but I left pretty quick because my quads were destroyed from the canyon and I needed to get off of them :) Overall, I really enjoyed this run and will most likely do it again in the future.
E. G. from Salt Lake, UT (5/5/2016) "Scenic, well-organized downhill race" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 In short, I really enjoyed my experience at the Colorado Marathon. I ran this race primarily to run a marathon in Colorado. The Fort Collins area is pretty low-stress and an easy race to navigate. I had no problems finding nearby hotels and parking on race morning. The ride to the start of the course (at the top of a canyon) was long (maybe 40 minutes), but luckily it was in style; they had coach buses equipped with bathrooms. It was quite a bit colder at the top and there wasn't really any place to sit other than the wet / cold ground. So be prepared for whatever the weather situation holds. I felt like they had ample bathrooms at the start but of course right before the race the lines were long. The first 15 miles or so are a gentle downhill following the Poudre River. It was a beautiful morning and traffic was limited up the canyon. Other than the initial mile or so, there was ample room to get on pace and not be hemmed in. This was the best part of the race and I was stunned by the natural beauty. Judging from previous comments, it appears this year they dedicated a section of the road entirely for runners. I did not feel threatened by passing cars. The final miles are on a concrete bike trail, which was unforgiving but still scenic. Course support included water and Nuun roughly every 2 miles. I would argue they need a carbohydrate based drink. Gels didn't come until mile 18, so be sure to carry your own. The finish line had water and fruit. I was hoping for something more substantial. There were vendors with samples though. Volunteers were on the ball, friendly and well organized. Mile markers were spot on, although I felt the last .2 of a mile was way long. The race expo was fairly modest and it was an easy packet pickup. The shirt was a technical one but sort of a rough material. I bought an older 2013 shirt and liked that material better. I really liked the dedicated marathon finisher's medal. Fan support was better than I expected. A good crowd was still there pushing me to the finish well after the half marathoners were done and gone. My only gripe was the price of the race. I registered somewhat late and it was over $150. I suspect the cost of the park service and luxury buses made it costly, but it was one of the more expensive races I've done. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a fast course, a scenic route or to take Colorado off your state's list. I was very happy with my experience from start to finish.
J. A. from Colorado Springs, CO (10/19/2015) "Just OK" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I have run this race twice, in 2014 and 2015. Most of my comments echo what others have said, but I'll say them anyway. Course 1. The first 16 miles of the course are indeed beautiful. 2. However... the last 8 are flat to rolling and are mostly run along highways that are not closed, or on a concrete bike path. At one point organizers had to direct traffic and let highway traffic cross the path of the runners. 3. The course isn't as fast as you may think, because the fast part of the course is the beginning. Ideally you take it slow in the beginning and pick up the pace several miles in. But you can't afford to do that here or you waste the first miles when it is really downhill and fast. I ended up crashing to some degree at the end of both years that I ran because of this. Organization 1. The bus pickup and drop-off were very well organized. 2. The biggest negative of organization is the limited water stops in the last miles of the race. In both 2014 and 2015 it was hotter than normal, with 2015 being very hot. They need more water stops in the latter part of the race, as at that point you are out in the open sun. There are several water stop gaps of 2 miles or more at the end. This is easily correctable. 3. As others have said, they really botched the logo and sponsor design in 2014 for the medals and shirts, but they corrected that error in 2015. But that error in 2014 was heinous and inexcusable really for a race of this size. 4. Also, limited food at the end of the race in 2015. I really don't understand this. No banana. No bagel. I ended up getting a bowl of oatmeal from a vendor free of charge. Not the post race fuel I'm used to. Spectators If you are looking for spectators lining the course, this isn't your race. It's not Chicago. Spectators were there where opportunity arose but with the course in the canyon and along busy roads it's really difficult for spectators. I do not plan on running this race again.

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Marathon Details - Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)