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May 14, 2024

Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) Runner Comments

Back to Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 118 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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J. T. from Denver, CO (4/19/2010) "Great course start - atrocious course finish" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Although I really want to say great things about this race, and I did manage to get a BQ here, it was in no part due to the lousy path everyone had to follow the last few miles off the road. How can you tell where you're going and how to gauge your effort if you can't see far? Answer: you can't. The first 19 miles or so are GREAT. Fantastic start. Too bad the end spoiled most of it. Most of us run recreationally or train on creek paths, but we don't expect them during a race. Another commenter had it right - this is a BIG wag-of-the-finger. Tip of the hat for a great finish lane, and way cool ceramic mementos - very, very unusual. Get rid of the dubious section of the race, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Good areas for fans to support, fine aid - but listen to everyone else's suggestions besides mine and change this sucker up. You'll have nothing but positive comments. ;-) Good luck!
J. B. from Evergreen, Colorado (5/30/2009) "Great, as usual" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run it 3 times. As usual, the course, volunteers and organization were fantastic. Only negatives: Shirts were too small, and PLEASE, lose the HEED!
N. M. from Denver, CO (5/18/2009) "always good" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I've run this race multiple times now. Each time the weather seems to be perfect on race day. The course is beautiful for the first 15 miles or so along the river; then it finishes over winding park paths and sidewalks. The finisher's medal is always very nice and is different from year to year, which is nice. The expo is very small, and the finish line doesn't have the best refreshments, but it is ok. My only issue with the race this year was with the buses. I got on a bus at about 4:25 a.m., but didn't get off until 5:50. There was no communication with us on the bus that the race was going to be delayed 15 minutes from the 6:00 starting time until we were getting off the bus. I was stressed thinking I had only 10 minutes to drop of my stuff and get to the starting line. Communicating with the bus driver over the bus radios would have relieved that stress. Apparently there was a problem with one or more buses turning around at the drop off point, which caused a traffic jam.
T. L. from Dallas, Texas (5/5/2009) "A must-do marathon" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This my 25th different marathon. Overall, this race is well organized. The expo is small, but then again, there are no hassles or lines. There was some confusion about when the race starts: 6:15. The buses to the start ran efficiently, although our bathroom was out of order. Be sure to be on the bus by 4:30 to have time for the port-o-potty lines and pre-race prep at the start. It stays cold throughout the canyon, so wear layers. The course is amazingly beautiful for the first 15 miles, but prepare yourself mentally for the scenery change once you leave the canyon. The advantage is that you finally encounter spectators. The canyon portion downhill requires downhill training - it is significant. There is some camber in the road, and it is not possible to run the tangents, as you are in the left lane only. Altitude: Coming from Dallas, I felt it, but I didn't think it was bad enough to make me miserable; I just had to run a little slower at times and catch my breath, especially on the uphills. The finisher's medal is pretty, and the tech top nice, but a small was still too large for petite women, so order XS. I had no issues with half-marathon walkers on the course (with my 4:01 finishing time). A couple of our group had results glitches, but they fixed them right then and there. I'd put this marathon in the top 10 list of marathons to do.
A. W. from IL (5/4/2009) "The scenery was outstanding!!!!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Like the author of a review a few below mine, I came to Ft Collins for my 19th state. Because it's a downhill race, the altitude did not worry me. (I have run under similar conditions in the past.) No problem running my regular time, but yesterday was not to be, I felt the altitude on the BUS (!) and barely eeked out a 5 43 my PW by a lot. The marathon itself was on an outstandingly beautiful course; the Poudrie River is just gorgeous, and you can listen to it because you are so close to it. There are no spectators to interfere with your thoughts while you run. We started in the dark and cold - about 36 degrees - but luckily the crummy rain from the night before was gone. The stars were out and it turned out to be a fantastic morning to run - cool and bright. The course is not too steep. There was a hill, but it's nothing to speak of. The spectators were nonexistent, and the aid stations had Heed - who really likes that? (There were a few stray packets of Hammer Gel and water too.) The volunteers were friendly and enthusiastic, and acted like they really wanted to be there!!!! The second half of the race goes through a wide, paved, multipurpose trail and is pretty. The finish is done perfectly. I appreciated the fact that the officials let the runners stay on the bus and keep warm instead of forcing us off to wait an extra hour outside at the start. Our bus driver had no clue where he was taking us, but he was cheerful and kind. I suggest staying at the host hotel, which also held the packet pickup. Sleep in a few extra minutes, as 3 a.m. comes mighty early. I finished too late to enjoy a beer, and if you want to see the brewery, plan to do that on Saturday (closed on Sunday). Fat Tire is a favorite, and I heard the brewery is cool to see. I ate at Coopersmith's Pub; the servings were immense, delicious and well priced.
J. G. from Denver, Colorado (5/4/2009) "Going the distance with a Garmin watch..." (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second running of the Fort Collins Old Town Marathon. My running partner an I both used Garmin watches to track our progress, monitoring pace and distance. The time at the finish was quite accurate, but the distance at the finish showed 26.42 miles. We talked to another runner with a Garmin who also had a reading over 26.2 miles. Our reliance on the Garmin cost one of us the precious few seconds at the end when we thought we had about 2 minutes to qualify for Boston. Hard lesson learned about the accuracy of the Garmin in the canyon OR... was it right??? Overall, I LOVE this race. Don't be fooled that it's an easy downhill race. Any weakness you have will be exposed by the end... but, that's marathon racing. After racing in other giant races in other cities, this is a true breath of fresh air. The quiet, beauty and majesty of Colorado's mountains are a powerful inspiration, which easily take the place of cheering crowds. I'll be back to run it again, but next time... not relying on the Garmin. Consider yourself "put on notice."
K. R. from Texas (5/4/2009) "Was the Course Long?" (about: 2009) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Though I finished second in my age group, the course seemed long! I talked with six runners who used Garmins on the course and all six had the course too long by at least .22 miles long! Several had it long by over .3 miles. None left the course to add distance to their Garmins! Otherwise a nice, scenic run with good organization. As you would expect, there are no spectators on this marathon until the end! I enjoyed the race... but, it should be remeasured!!
S. D. from Fort Collins, CO (11/8/2008) "Sun coming up, you running down Poudre Canyon!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the third year for me! Each year gets better! If you only do one in Colorado, make it this one! It's small, fast and totally gorgeous! If spectators are your motivation, try Denver! But if you want scenic memories to last a lifetime, this is it!!!
D. M. from Weston, Florida (10/13/2008) "Beautiful run, but organizers could do better" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Without question, the run if very pretty as you come out of the mountains at daybreak. Ft. Collins itself I found to be charming and a lot of fun. However, the nutrition on the route was slim and an odd choice was made that put the last 200 yards over an active train track (which caused many people to have to stop as trains passed by while waiting to run the last couple of hundred yards). The marathon finisher medal was very nice, made of ceramic and painted with a Colorado scene. However, the half-marathoners got no medal. In fact, they got nothing. Zero. Nada. Pretty poor, considering I think most of the participants were half-marathoners. Volunteers were great and the experience was positive overall. Just be aware that the race still "feels" like folks are learning how to do all that's needed to pull off one of these races.
L. Y. from San Diego, CA (5/30/2008) "Beautiful course... great town... altitude anyone?" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Colorado Marathon (prev. Fort Collins Old Town Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I must admit that I picked this marathon due to the slight downhill course. Being a "low-lander" from San Diego, I wanted to run a marathon in Colorado that wasn't too challenging as I begin my 50-state quest. I flew in to Denver a few days prior but had headaches and was dizzy just hours after I landed. Not a good start. I was on a mission to finish this race in under 4 hours. Needless to say, I was HUMBLED! Within the first 10 miles of the race, I knew I wasn't going to come close to finishing in the time I predicted, so I "checked my ego in" at about mile 10 and took lots of pictures with my cell phone. Poudre Canyon is beautiful. The altitude, I think, was God's way of saying, "Slow down, enjoy this scenery I MADE and stop worrying about how quickly you get to the finish line." I slowed down quite a bit. Downhill or not, it was my worst marathon time ever - considering that I ran Utah 7 months prior (at 5,000-2,400 feet above sea level) one hour faster. I think altitude is "hit and miss" for everyone, and affects everybody differently, so don't let my experience discourage you from this race. Some sea-level runners are affected by 6,000 feet and some are not. And 6,000 feet is really not that high, considering that Pike's Peak is 12,000 feet. NO thank you! Ft. Collins and Denver had the lowest altitudes I could find in Colorado. Slowing myself down enabled me to enjoy the natural beauty around me and WOW, it is beautiful, especially the first 16 miles. At miles 22-26, I ran into more "low-landers" like myself who were feeling the same effects from the altitude. It was nice to know I wasn't alone. Aid stations were well stocked and spread out. The spectators were great. At least the few that were out in the last 10 miles of the race. Ft. Collins is a great little town with very friendly people. Personally, I'm not motivated by cheering spectators, so if there were none, it would make no difference to me. The expo was at the Ft. Collins Hilton. If you do this race from out of town, I recommend staying at the Hilton. The hotel has its own bus that picks you up in the lobby at 4 a.m. and takes you directly to the start line... and yes, it is freezing at the top of the canyon (...but everything North is cold to me). The expo wasn't really an expo - it was more like a place to pick up your bib with a few vendors. They were the nicest vendors I have ever met. Like I said, everyone was really nice. It would have been nicer if the expo had GU, disposable jackets for sale for the freezing cold start line, and maybe a few other necessities. Nothing of the sort was to be found. Not a big deal, though. The convenience of picking my bib up at my hotel and taking the bus to the start line from the lobby, out-weighed the "dinky" expo. This is a beautiful race and I would recommend if you are looking for a Colorado Marathon. Statistically, it looks like a PR course, but don't be fooled. I probably could have PR'd if I had more oxygen and was able to breathe. See... there ARE disadvantages to living in San Diego!

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