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May 13, 2024

Rockies Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Rockies Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 3.7

Spectators 2.7

Number of comments: 30 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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L. D. from California (4/12/2016) "Some beautiful scenery and some major hiccups" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I ran Big Cottonwood in 2014 and was so impressed with Revel that I immediately put Rockies on my calendar for 2015. The race is not all downhill. For those who feel misled - uphills of a couple hundred feet feel, and are, very substantial but when you have overall drops of thousands the scale of elevation chart makes them very hard to see. They are there. The uphills were tough especially on quads that have lost their bounce from all that downhill but it is all part of the race. I wish they wouldn't have had the finish line on an uphill. It makes it hard to stride in even if you have something left and makes for ugly finish line pictures. That seems like it could be changed without too much trouble. It wasn't perfect but a lot of the comments about the course and venue seem a bit nit picky. We don't run marathons because they are easy, they are supposed to be a challenge. The big thing, of course, was the buses. I was early and got on the first bus I got extra waiting time on top of the mountain in the cold and some mixed messages about start times but that is racing. The halfers are the ones who have the real complaint. If they had cancelled my race on race day as they did for the half marathoners I would have been livid. Refunding your race fee is a drop in the bucket and literally the very least they could do. They bill this as a destination race and I am sure some of the halfers travelled to the race as I did. I even came a couple days early to try and adjust a bit to the altitude. If I had taken time off work and paid for plane tickets and multiple nights in a hotel, a rental car to get to a remote place before 5 am and then been told to go home, I don't know what I would have done. People spend a lot of money, effort and time for a race they train for months and taper just for your race, to cancel it the day of is inexcusable. It will definitely make me think twice about signing up for another Revel event.
L. B. from Arizona (8/4/2015) "Pretty and fast" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Another Arizona native here. I didn't experience the same frustrations that other runners did and I feel for them. I ran this race with my sister and we arrived early enough to quickly board a bus. I loved the space blankets and gloves at the start. The course was beautiful. The only time I felt the altitude was when I was climbing hills. And boy were there some hills between miles 11-15. Mile markers were a bit off and the course did seem longer than any other marathon I have done (this was #5). The downhill absolutely destroyed my legs but I expected that. Also the uphill finish was cruel and unusual punishment. Overall, I would do this race again. Most beautiful race and the best weather I have ever experienced for a marathon.
M. O. from TX (8/3/2015) "Definitely NOT an automatic PR/BQ" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I was really pumped about this race after running Big Cottonwood (also organized by Revel). This is NOT Big Cottonwood, not even close. The description of the course is grossly inaccurate. It is not necessarily a downhill race, but a 'Net' downhill race. The first 11 miles were gorgeous. We ran downhill while the sun was coming up. It was peaceful and serene. After coming out of the canyon, we got onto a busy freeway with lots of idling cars for at least 2 miles (not sure why more people aren't mentioning this-it was awful). We were on the freeway for less than a half-mile before reaching the first of many UPhills. The course appears to run along hwy 74 from Evergreen to Morrison on the webpage but you actually turn off the freeway and go uphill into a neighborhood that has several rolling hills. By the time you emerge from the neighborhood back onto hwy 74, you are already past the beautiful evergreen lake. The last 8 or so miles of the course were beautiful, but it was hot and sunny then. There is no shade at all in the last part of the course. This race really needs to be held in May before it gets too hot. The finish line is uphill, then you have to walk even more uphill to retrieve your bag. The post-race food is disappointing as most of it cost money. The last kick in the pants is the long walk back to the shuttle buses to get back to your car. I love revel but I think they forced this one. It seems like they just wanted to start a race in CO so they threw this together. I will not be returning to revel rockies and I would not recommend this race to anyone.
C. B. from Park City, UT (8/3/2015) "Beautiful Downhill Course!!" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 5th marathon and my first BQ! Great race, beautiful course. This course was long, my GPS watch clocked it at 26.48 miles. Despite the long course it still gave me a BQ time. There was a lot of negativity about the race organization due to bus issues. Some people were not able to get on the bus to the starting line because of a bus shortage. Overall I would definitely run this marathon again! I plan on doing REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon next month!
David McCorquodale from Wilmington, DE (7/31/2015) "Mislead by website" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I share the thoughts of those who commented previously. Here are a few of my own to add: 1. The website made it seem like that aerobically it would not be a problem because the course was all downhill. That is not correct. When I was at my pace for the first eight miles, I was breathing like I was in an all out 5K. 2. Uphills not mentioned on website. I could not run at all uphill. I was sucking wind walking. 3. The second half of the course has a severe camber to the right, as there is a creek alongside. The course would have been so much easier if we ran in the left lane with the right land open to traffic, instead of the reverse. I basically walked the second half. If it had been more level, I could have at least continued to jog. 4. The first mile and the finish (from 26 on) were both long. I understand they wanted to finish at the town park and the only staging area is the one spot on the pass road with a fairly large clearing, but they could have had us walk the four tenths of a mile down the road for the start to shorten up to the correct distance. 5. Finally, I agree that the staging area for the start needs something. Some tents and tarps on the gravel. I was doing this as a 50 stater, so in that respect, I am not too bothered, but I did train running a lot of downhill repeats, hoping for a much better time, so a disappointment.
R. J. from Tuscon Arizona (7/24/2015) "Great race but the course is definitely long." (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great fast course, several pretty big uphills but a good course nonetheless. Me, my wife, her best friend, her husband and son all ran this race, we all got 26.6 - 26.7 miles. This was my 30th marathon and I have never once seen a race that had over 23.3, this cost my friend his BQ as he paced for a 8:00 average and hit that but do to the long course he missed the BQ by 10 seconds a mile or so.
Winnie Clark from Phoenix, Arizona (7/24/2015) "Worst organized race I've run" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The snafu with the bussing situation in 2015 has been widely publicized. The race director has promised to refund the half marathoners, who were told the race was cancelled initially with no explanation about the lack of busses, but I'm not sure how that's going to work. The bus problem was apparent to full marathoners who had to wait in line for 40 minutes for the 4 AM busses, and those waiting at a host hotel for a bus that never materialized. This is what happens when a race director/organization are part of a corporate entity out to make money. The cost for the full was on par with most big city events, but this race does not have the leadership or infrastructure to be a big city destination race. They should have capped the event but obviously money was a factor. The website overpromised everything. The 'PR course' was tougher on my lower body than the Boston Marathon course (yes, I'm from Phoenix but I did try to train for downhills), and the advertised perks fell shortthe gloves and space blanket were so poor quality they were worthless. The start line area was a mess. Medical aid on the course was a jokethe station at mile 19 was completely unnmanned, possibly because the volunteer had to help a runner at mile 21 who was in dire straits due to dehydration. The only positives I can state are the course was scenic, the weather was nice, and the volunteers were outstanding. Also a nice big medal, if you're into that kind of thing. They get 5 stars, the race itself gets 0.
B. T. from IL (7/22/2015) "Beautiful, painful." (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Lets start with the good. The website is awesome and packed with info. The finish medal is very nice. The official race shirt is a clean design and they offered options when registering so you could go short or long sleeve, as well as singlet I think. The course was absolutely beautiful. Being a small race, my family could get right up to the finish line to see me cross. They enjoyed the PA announcer reading off everyones names as they crossed the line too. Apparently there are going to be free digital pics and videos made available to all participants. I havent seen them yet but its only a few days after the race. Now for the bad. At the expo, they didnt have the shirt design in the size I ordered when I registered. To their credit they did offer me one of their retail shirts of equivalent value. The people staffing the Race Info desk at the expo didnt even know how many people had registered for the race. The shuttle busses that take you from Morrison to the start line boarded between 3:30 and 4:15, which meant a 2:45 alarm clock for me. I made it on the second bus which got me to the start line at 4:20am. There was really no place to sit, as the start line was just a gravel access road to an old ski area. The race was scheduled to begin at 6am but an announcement was made at 5:30 that the start would be pushed back to 6:20 due to bus issues. So everybody was on that schedule for bathroom use, peeling off warmups, stretching, dropping off drop bags, etc. Then at 6am they announced the start would be at 6:10 and this made for mass chaos as everyone had to accelerate their preparation. Overall waking up so early and sitting in gravel for 110 minutes and then being thrust into a mess of a start was the worst part of the race for me. The 5000 of descent was absolutely a quad shredder. The finish area was full of some really banged up people. And if you decide to run this race be aware that there are some significant uphill portions in the middle of the race. One more caution- it is impossible to run the tangents because only one lane of traffic was closed for us. As a result everyone that I talked to afterwards that were wearing GPS watches measured at least 26.5 miles. Also, if you rely on your phone when racing for either live tracking or some sort of app be aware that there were only a few spots along the course that had service.
j. b. from USA (7/21/2015) "Poorly run" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The race director hired the ATS bus company to transport the runners to the start of the marathon. A judge told ATS in January that the company could not continue operating until certain things were completed by the company. Most of the busses did not show up to transport the runners to the start of the marathon/half marathon and 1700 runners were left without the opportunity to run the event. The race director had a duty to hire a bus company that was legally allowed to operate. The traffic getting to the parking area was in 'gridlock'. The volunteers were wonderful. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS RACE and I have run over 90 marathons.
C. J. from Austin, TX (7/21/2015) "Beautiful course but not my cup of tea" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rockies Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the 2015 REVEL Rockies Marathon as part of my attempt to run a marathon in all 50 states. It's a truly beautiful course and a unique experience, but I found that running down a steep downhill for 26.2 miles is not nearly as much fun as it sounds. If you're thinking that a downhill course = automatic PR/BQ, well . . . maybe . . . we're all different . . . but I'm a veteran marathoner - this was my 7th marathon of 2015 - and the ceaseless downhill pounding (along with cambered roadway) totally trashed my legs to the point that I had nothing left in last few miles. And my legs are more sore now (2 days after the race) than they were after my very first marathon. But who knows. Maybe the downhill will give you just enough added boost to lead you to that elusive PR. Or, like me, you may never want to run downhill again. Further details below: Logistics: You gotta have a car for this one. The expo and race venue are both a good 45-minute drive from the Denver airport. I stayed in Lakewood and it was an easy 10-minute drive to the shuttle loading area. Speaking of shuttles: There was a huge snafu with the shuttles this year. All runners had to park by a race track in Morrison, CO and take a shuttle bus to the start. The marathoners' shuttles left between 3:30 am - 4:15 am, the half marathoners' a little later. I got there at around 3:40 am and was able to get right on a bus. But apparently only about 1/2 of the buses showed up and things got ugly after that. So many of the half marathoners got stranded in the parking lot that the race organizers ended up cancelling the half marathon. As it was, the marathon start was delayed about 10 minutes while we waited for the last bus to arrive, but as far as I know all of the marathoners made it to the start. I have to believe that the race organizers are going to fix the shuttle situation next year. Expo: The expo was in a gym at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO. Pretty small expo; nothing extraordinary about it. I had no problem getting my race packet. Start area: The race start line was a pretty random spot in the middle of Squaw Pass Rd. The runners all congregated on what appeared to be a scenic overlook on the side of the road. It was quite chilly for mid-July, in the upper 40's when I arrived in the dark. The race staff handed out space blankets and cotton gloves to all runners and there was plenty of Gatorade, water, and coffee. The gear bag check area consisted of a box truck which runners (literally) threw their bags into. (I was a bit concerned about that, but in the finish area all of the gear bags were laid out in orderly, organized rows.) There weren't a lot of porta-potties in the start area, but I had no problem finding an open one when I got there. Later on, however, as more runners arrived, long lines formed. The runners who arrived on the last bus pretty much only had time to throw their bag in the truck before lining up for the start. The course: Yeah, it was gorgeous. Watching the sunrise from the start area was memorable. The race starts at around 10600' elevation and drops a total of around 4600' to the end. It is not straight downhill, however: For the first 11 miles or so it is a steep, constant downhill, but after that it flattens out a bit. Starting around mile 13, as the course passes through Evergreen,CO, there are 4 distinct, long, uphill sections. I actually enjoyed the variety of running uphill. After passing Evergreen the course begins to drop steadily again. It flattens out a bit at points, but gets steeper as you get closer to the end at Morrison. But the last .10 of a mile or so, in downtown Morrison, is UPHILL. Just kind of a kick in the pants at that point. Plus, the 26 mile marker was off, and it seemed to be a good 1/2 mile from there to the end. Everyone (like me) who likes to kick it in over the last .2 miles was in for a painful surprise, as I thought that finish line was never going to appear. Regarding the elevation: I'm a flatlander (from Texas) and had never run at that high an elevation before. I definitely felt it at the beginning. For the first couple of miles or so I was sucking for air and felt a bit light-headed. But it cleared up by around the 5 mile point and I was fine after that. Note: The roadway is HEAVILY CAMBERED in many spots. That may have had as much to do with trashing my legs as the downhill. On-course support: Plenty of water stops staffed with enthusiastic, helpful volunteers. There was both water and Gatorade at all stops, and goo packets were handed out at several of the stops. There was a mixture of paper and plastic cups; the water was in plastic and the Gatorade was in paper. I guess that helped to tell the 2 apart, but I really hate trying to drink from a plastic cup while running. I noticed a few porta-potties at some of the stops along the way, but I wasn't really looking for them. I did see many of the runners taking advantage of the nice wooded areas on both sides of the road. Finish area: After navigating the nasty uphill finishing chute, the race ended at a nice, shaded park. There was plenty of food and drink available (due in part to the absence of the half marathoners). It was a further uphill walk to a parking lot for gear bag retrieval. Then there was a bit of a slog - maybe 1/2 mile - to get on a shuttle bus for a ride back to the parking area. Weather: As mentioned, the weather was great for mid-July. 40's at the start, maybe in the 60's at the end. It was overcast early, but the sun came out later on. There is zero shade in the last half of the course and I worked up quite a sweat in the sun. Race shirt/medal: You had a choice of a long-sleeve or short-sleeve shirt. I went with the short-sleeve. It is a pretty nondescript grey, but it'll work as a training shirt. Very nice medal - big and heavy and all-metal. The medal's a keeper. Overall impression: Well, I'm glad I did it, but I won't do it again. There is definitely a market out there for these downhill screamers, but they're not for me. I know that the race organizers are going to catch all kind of h*ll for the shuttle screw-up, but clearly the shuttle bus company was at fault. Overall I thought everything was very well organized and I wouldn't dissuade anyone from doing this race next year just because of the shuttle fiasco.

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