Like previous posters have said, this is not a race to PR in, but it is definitely worth it! It was hot and windy this year, but this summer has been unusually hot everywhere in CO. I would recommend carrying your own water...the aid stations are well-stocked, but when it's hot and at high altitude, carrying your own is smart. I carried a 12 oz. handheld and refilled every few miles the high-speed nozzles are awesome and I didn't lose much time at all refilling. The volunteers are great, too - one even offered to fill my bottle and run it up to me so I wouldn't lose time. Overall, I definitely recommend this race!

An extremely difficult race course. Combination of altitude + hills + wind were very humbling. I found this to be harder than the marathon at the end of an ironman distance triathalon. I'd put emphasis on controlling your speed/effort on the first big hill (miles 2-6) so you have gas left in the tank for the rest of the race. Organization of the race and support were great. Fan support was what you would expect from a small town marathon: meager.

This is the 5th time I've run the EP marathon; it was fantastic the first year and continues to only get better! The course is well supported, although I do carry my own hydration pack due to the altitude. In addition to sports drink/food, I love that the aid stations have ice water and ice! I've run over 80 marathons and this is one of my favorites. The spectators are very supportive - it is a small race, so do not expect huge crowds along the course. Thanks to the race directors for consistently offering a fabulous experience.

It was sunny, hot, windy and worth running, but one needs to be prepared for participating in a race that is at between 7400 and 8100 feet above sea level. Unlikely you will do a PR unless this is your first race. Nevertheless, of the 150 marathoner finishers I noticed that four had BQ times. They were obviously well prepared. Organization of the event was excellent. They apparently listened to previous complaints about no t-shirt and provided a very nice one that fits well and looks good. The roads and turns are well marked, but a couple of volunteers did not point which way to go.

Not a problem early on, but at the later stages of a race it is always a welcome hand gesture when I am beat and don't want to think about looking at signs or arrows on the road. All in all the volunteers were excellent and I can't thank them enough for being willing to stand for hours in the sun and cheer everyone on. I didn't see it mentioned in their online information, but I was able to take a shower in a very nice H.S. boys locker room after the race right near the finish line. What a pleasure! I assume the girls locker room is also nice. BTW, the finish is in the H.S. stadium on the track where friends and family can easily watch you round the track to the finish line, which mine did.

They made every effort to announce every runner's name, state and home town. I did not use the Hydrapouch since I have not used it previously. Interesting device that could work okay with practice. I plan on trying it out in the near future. I respected the organizers desire to reduce the waste of paper cups so I carried a small bottle that fit easily in my hand and could be filled quickly at each aid station with either ice cold water or sports drink. The first two watering stations were at miles 2 and 5 I think, but later in the race I swear they were every mile to mile and a half I would guess because of the sun, heat and wind. That's great planning. I filled my bottle at almost every one and there was always plenty to drink.

Perhaps there could have had a little more food for late finishing marathoners, but I think that is hard to calculate for a small event, especially when there is a half-M, 10K and 5K as well. All in all I enjoyed myself and felt like I had not just run a marathon, but completed a challenging event. Hats off the organizers and many thanks for an enjoyable day. Tim

I ran this marathon again this year; I guess I'm just a masochist. As I've commented before, the course is beautiful but the wind this year was absolutely awful. It was nice when it was at your back but when it was in your face it was the equivalent of trying to run up a freaking cliff.

The hydropour thing that they want the runners to use totally sucks. It falls off your running shorts too easily and is a pain in the neck to haul around. They have cups at the aid stations anyway- I'm not sure why they continue to waste their money by including them in the pre-race pack of stuff. I didn't find anyone who likes it.

The aid stations were exceptionally well-stocked with oranges, bananas, and gels. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful. And, they provided a very nice shirt in the race packet this year.

I won't be running this one again- the wind made it miserable. Hills and altitude I can handle, but the wind was awful. There was wind last year as well, but this year was much worse.

A well run small town marathon, difficult course.

Only a few complaints. The awards were pathetic and a t-shirt was not included in the registration fee. Never heard of making the runner pay for their race day shirt?

Other runners have commented on the HydraPouch, mine fell off at mile 3 and I saw others along the race course as well, it was a bust.

I probably would not run this marathon again due to the difficulty, but it's worth looking into if you like a challenge.

For weeks I was worried about the altitude and the hills,but after starting the race with the half marathon group for a miles out and a mile back to the marathon start! hey open your mouth and say marathon over here half over there. Welcome to my first ultra! only if it was a total of 28.2 miles. Water stops was the best that I ever seen. Big thanks to all of you. Elk encounters!!! Loved the town,I will be back to hang out and eat and sleep. I felt good going up the hills. Don't worry be hilly.

Be prepared for this one!!!! This is a beautiful course, but it will beat you up. After reading other comments, they have it pretty accurate. The profile of the course elevation seems right, but what you don't see is how the elevation and the hills will tear you down. None of the hills by themselves are difficult, but when you add them together with the altitude, they will definately zap your energy. The first hill is about 4 miles long and there is another hill that starts about mile 16 that is about 3 miles long with a few very short steeper hills. I've run Pikes Peak and other courses with severe hills and its nothing compared to those races. I would guess the average hill has a gradient of 3-6%, but over the course of 26 miles they take their toll. I would estimate you will run 15-20 minutes slower on this course than one at lower altitude with fewer hills. Here is the good and bad:
Good: 1) Spectacular Scenery - I'm from Denver and I still loved it, 2) Super Volunteers-enthusiastic & helpful, 3) Well Marked Course, 4) Ice Cold Water - way to go!!!
Bad: 1) Hydropouch - good idea, but they still had cups of water (I suggest carrying a water bottle - aid stations should have pitchers of water for quick-fill of bottles), 2) I won an age group award and got a cheesy medal that you can get at any running store. The finishers medal was very nice that everyone gets, but if you win something, don't give another medal. They need to give out something special to Estes Park like a painted estes park rock or petrified elk dung, 3) No t-shirt - since its a difficult race, give out more. 4) start the race earlier. The sun is up at 5:30, runners get up early b/c they are nerveous - they could get more Denver people to stay in EP if they did this, 5) Organize the finish of the race better - there were people at the stadium and inside. When awards were given out, there were just a few people. Put everyone outside on the football field with a couple more tents. That way we can cheer other runners and recognize the award winners at the same time. (BTW - food was good Pizza, breakfast burritos, cookies)

This has to be the most difficult marathon I've run. The constant climb during the first six miles is a killer unless you're ready for hills at altitude (I wasn't!). I would compare its difficulty to the old Deseret News marathon course but the altitude makes it much more difficult. The course was absolutely gorgeous; much prettier than even Big Sur in my opinion. And, the smell of pines throughout the course is great. I thought the organization of the course was exceptionally good. I thought the hydra-pouch sucked- I can't stand hanging stuff off my running shorts when I run and it kept falling off when it was empty. They still had cups at each station but the trash cans nearby kept the runners from trashing the place. The aid stations were well stocked with oranges, bananas, gel, and energy bars. They even had sunscreen at at least one stop at about mile 20.

I would recommend this race to do at least once. It was very rewarding despite me being completely out of shape and poorly prepared for it!

Estes Park is one of the greatest places in CO to visit, and this marathon gives you a chance to see the whole area and enjoy beautiful views.

The 2010 race was run in absolutely horrible, unseasonable weather - it was 40 degrees and pouring rain for most of the race. Top that with two excessive hills and the high altitude, and it's an ultimate road challenge for a flat-lander or someone living at sea level.

On even a decent day, the scenery is fantastic, and even in the terrible weather, it was a beautiful landscape. A whole weekend in CO and I didn't see the mountain skyline once! :(

I think the Hydrapouch was a nice idea, but in reality the race was not "cup-free." There were still cups at all of the stations, but I am sure that this approach cut down the amount of total waste.

If you choose to run this race, you need to be prepared for the long hills at altitude. That's mental preparation as much as physical. I am usually a 3:20-3:30 marathoner on flatter courses not at altitude, and this course on this day took me 4:27. Don't do this one for a PR.

For those of you that like to know about the medal and t-shirt, the medal is fine. It's basic and custom, but not flashy. This is the first race in 44 marathons where I didn't get a t-shirt as part of registration. Disappointing, but if you use that kind of thing as a reason for selecting a marathon, then seek help.

Spectators were pretty patchy, usually just in the relay areas.

Fun weekend activities include touring the New Belgium and O'Dells Breweries in Ft. Collins, as well as the Estes Park Brewery after the race. Have dinner at The Buckhorn Exchange down in Denver! Catch a Rockies game if they're at home!