5/5 Stars

4/5 Stars

I wasn't expecting to get altitude sickness and ended up very sick along the course. Had to get medical attention at the end.

No I was about 40 minutes slower than I expected because of sickness

Pure beauty!

Arrive 2-3 days before race to acclimate to elevation.

5/5 Stars

Early!! 3 a.m. is crazy early! Best thing was having my daughter call me around mile 21 to tell me she finished 2nd in her age division. My son came in 10 seconds ahead of her and placed 5th in his. Then I called my oldest to check in around mile 22 and she and my wife only had a mile to go to finish at 3:02 for the half. My whole family PR'ed and cut about 15 min off each of our times one the Colorado Marathon a month ago.

I did PR at 4:02. My Garmin had me under 4:00 which I was really happy with.

Scenery was amazing! The grade was a little steep in spots and the slope of the road on a few turns was tough on the ankles. Did not notice the elevation aside from the amazing views it provided

Hill training helped a ton! As well as getting in a 20 mile and 22 mile run prior. I would advise running for a hour every other day with a long run 15+ on the weekend. Hill runs at least twice a week and strength training twice a week. The hills and strength training help the quads which get hammered in these downhill runs.

There is a lot to do in the Denver area so arrive early. Carb load! Wear a jacket to the starting line. The weather on race day said it would be 60-ish in the morning in Evergreen but it was way colder at the marathon start. --- ADVICE FOR SLOW GROUPS--- PLEASE move over to the right and don't run/walk side by side taking up the entire path.

We drove in from Casper WY the day before the race. Knocked out some shopping and had lunch at Highland Tavern which was on "Dinners Drive-ins and Dives" After packet pickup we walked around Golden a little bit and checked out "Gold Mine Cupcakes" for the kids.

5/5 Stars

Great course, so beautiful to run down the mountain. Volunteers and runners were all very supportive and made this a really fun Marathon.

No PR. This was actually my slowest Marathon. My training was a bit off and I really had a tough time at mile 21 on.

Fast course, particularly the first half. Once you hit the rollers in Evergreen, for me that was a killer.

I had some foot issues early this spring, so I had to take some time off to heal. This put me behind on my plans and I didn't get the mileage in I typically do before a marathon.

I spent the night before at elevation - Central City - which helped me to acclimate better to altitude. The weather was fantastic on race day, so we didn't have any challenges on clothing.

I camped and spent some time in the area sight seeing on Saturday before the race.
I am from Fort Collins, CO.

5/5 Stars

Challenging

No

Beautiful

5/5 Stars

As an ultra runner I prefer trail to road. This marathon was great! The course was amazingly beautiful. I even found plenty of dirt to run on beside the road.

No, but finished so strong. Forst elevation race

Amazing! Only complain was mile 11-13 on the highway.

Layers for start

5/5 Stars

We arrived at the busing area at 3:25. Parking was very smooth. We got onto one of the first busses and took the almost hour ride up to the top of the course. It was chilly waiting but the thermal blankets definitely helped. We checked our bags at about 5:30 and I realized I forgot sunscreen. Luckily, someone had some for me to use. Just remember, sunscreen is really important at higher elevations. I missed a few spots and ended up pretty burned in those areas.
After the race you walk about a quarter mile to the busing area. That seemed like a long walk after running so far. The drive from the finish line to the cars is only about a mile.
The aid stations seemed to be well stocked, but I only used water from them. I brought my own chews and used Tailwind for my water.

Yes, by about 15 minutes, but that wasn't necessarily my goal.

At 5:45 we all walked less than a quarter mile to the start line. The race started right at 6. The first 11 miles are easy and mostly downhill with the exception of two tiny hills. The rolling hills started after mile 11. It's iust important to remember that even though you are going uphill, the downhill on the other side of the hill is even bigger. The las big uphill happened around mile 16. From there, there are some uphills, but much smaller. This is the section where I seemed to struggle more. The bank on the roads did add an extra little challenge in this section. Sometimes they were quite steep. The last two miles went quickly and there is a little uphill right as you turn the corner to the finish. It's really not bad at all.
As a side note, I only noticed the elevation on the uphills. The rest was fine.

I only trained 3 days a week. For me, a person who gets severe shins saints, that was all I could really do. The only thing I would do differently would be do more long downhill runs. My quads were really tired. I felt like I could have done better if they had been better trained for the course.

Use sunscreen.

We went to the zoo, Voodoo donuts, and did the Hanging Lake trail after the race. It was all worth it.

5/5 Stars

Parking prior to the race was the only glitch for me. There should have been more direction in signs and a separate area for parking and those being dropped off. Otherwise it was a spectacular race. Well organized/planned.

Yes, it was my first marathon and I made good time. I loved the inspiring signs along the way. It was extra meaningful to see my family at a random spot near mile 18. It inspired me when I was very tired.

I did not qualify for the BM, and I am sad about that, but I did my best.

I did my own training that I printed off from the man who prepared runners for the Disney marathons. The scenery was beautiful. I would like to go back and look at it all again when I can focus on it.

Tie your shoes tight at the beginning of the race to prevent your toes from taking such painful pounding in the front of your shoes, due to the downhill. Train for a downhill race. I did not do this and it is day 2 after and I cannot walk!

Not much. I did this alone and before the race I was focused. After the race I was ill and just wanted to go home. I am sad that I couldn't enjoy the post race fun. I can from Highlands Ranch CO.

5/5 Stars

Beautiful course.

It was a pretty steep grade for the first 11 miles. The course was beautiful for a road race and will go on my list of favorites in that category.

This was a training run for a 50k. As a result I took it easy on that first 11 miles as to not trash my quads for the rest of my run and training. I felt great when I started to hit the rolling hills and passed a ton of people because I assume they went out to fast on the first 11 and their legs were feeling the effects.

As much as you may want to don't let the downhill dictate your pace.

5/5 Stars

This was the first marathon that I was ABLE to run the entire 26.2 distance. I kept a constant pace the entire race and barely missed sub3 by 2 mins.

Yes, I PR'd w/ a time of 3:02:20. My previous PR was from Revel Rockies 2016 w/ a time of 2:03:48. Yes BQ'd.

Beautiful. Every segment has it's own character and beauty.

Back in March/April, I pulled back to run 2 days a week. Long on Sundays, and track work on Wednesday.

You must figure out what it takes for you.

I live here and explored new places off Google maps.