5/5 Stars

The race was well organized and the weather was one of the best running days I have experienced. The course is scenic, aid stations were well managed, an over all great race experience.

YES! I beat a half marathon time I set in 2011 by 16 minutes and 13 seconds! BAM! Improving my mile split time by 1.14/mile. I did not BQ. I still have a a lot of work to do to make Boston.

Very scenic route and the grade of downhill was manageable (for the half).

I trained in combination of road and trail (as I did the Ragnar Snowmass the weekend before). In my training I did train on hills up and down, but probably could have done more to truly take advantage of the downhill of the course. I would have run more hills, up and down, probably 2x per week rather than 1x per week.

I would recommend other runners bring layers to the start. I wore thermals on the bus up and was in good shape prior to the start. Several other runners were shivering, even with the provided blankets. The bag drop was well organized and can easily hold warmer gear.

Post race enjoyed chatting with other runners and then headed home for food and a nap! I live in Superior, so it wasnt far.

4/5 Stars

Up at 3:00am, met friends for the bus ride, visited with friends and met new runners. Coffee with others afterwards.

no

scenic, the right grade, some hills - good, elevation okay, well marked, road camber okay, flat parts were good at the end.

a few halfs and 10-milers. some speed work and some hill work. had energy a the last 4 miles.

Do some training for the down hills.

Enjoyed the finish line activities. Visited with friends. Had coffee. I live close by in Lakewood, 8 minutes away. Enjoyed the expo

4/5 Stars

A fast and beautiful course helped me to beat by goal time.

PR by 40 minutes
BQ

Very beautiful course. Evergreen parkway was a little hillier than expected, but otherwise perfect.

Lots of training miles. Started with a base of 50mi/wk and worked up to 75mi/wk. I also included eccentric strengthening of quads, calves, and hamstrings to prepare for the extended downhill running.

Start easy. It is very easy to get carried away with an all downhill course and think that you'll be able to maintain a good pace for the whole race. The distance still needs to be respected.

I live in the area.

5/5 Stars

5/5 Stars

I have never been so nervous before a race. I was trying to BQ, I was worried about the weather and even though I knew it wouldn't happen again, I was worried about the bus sitch (I was on the marathon bus that didn't make it to the top last year). I was so happy to see all those buses yesterday! The course is beautiful! The atmosphere was fantastic.

18 minute PR and a BQ. Sadly, I only beat my qualifying standard by 15 seconds so it's pretty much a given that I won't actually get to go to Boston this year. Hopefully, next year. I think the heat played a role for sure. It was pretty darn hot over the last 5-10 miles. Please move the race to May. Ideal race temps (60 or less)= great times! Please consider having a pacer for 3:50:00. I realize that's not a BQ time but as we all know, you have to run faster than your qualifying standard. Most folks were able to run with the pace group that was 5 minutes faster than their BQ but there was no 3:50:00 pacer so I was on my own. Also, the water situation was kind of a bummer at the finish. It was so hot and I went through that water bottle almost immediately but runners were not allowed to go back into the food area to get more water. Please reconsider that system.

Beautiful. The first 11 miles are perfect, fast and steep. The hills in the middle were a little rough (I thought I'd be welcoming them at that point but it didn't work out that way). Miles 16ish- 22ish were hot and felt flat so I started struggling. The last few miles were a nice steep descent again so I was able to pick up some nice speed but I had lost too much time by then to do what I wanted. I'll train harder!

Next year I will incorporate more lower body strength training so hopefully my quads and glutes will hold out longer. I'll also get more hills in. More training on significantly hilly (uphill) terrain will make me stronger overall and more downhill training will prepare my legs for the beating they'll take on race day!

I would tell runners to take it easy during the first half. It's easy to bomb down those hills but try to save your legs for the second half. I heard a lot of people around me struggling early on because they had gone out too fast. I would warn runners to be prepared for the hills in the middle because they're not insignificant. Also, have fun and stay positive. You can meet your goals on this course!!

I drove up from Fort Collins to stay in a hotel overnight. I should have stayed in a campground instead of the overpriced hotel. Live and learn. :)

4/5 Stars

Race day was great. It was a very early morning, but I appreciate the cooler weather. I lined up with the 2:20 pacer hoping that I could beat him. I was ahead of him for most of the race. Between mile 8-9, the 2:20 pacer passed me and it was very discouraging to see him. I really thought that I was running a faster race than that. It seemed like his pace was too fast for 2:20. I finished the rest of the race pretty much on track of what I thought it would be. My chip finish time was 2:18 and my gun finish time was 2:19. I know that the 2:20 pacer finished before me. I think that if you are a pacer you should finish at your expected time. If that means having a watch to keep you more at your scheduled pace, then Revel should provide the watches for them on race day. I was very upset about him passing me. mentally, it was very discouraging to see him passing knowing that I was ahead of the time I wanted to finish.

no. I was 30 seconds away from a PR.

the course was great. The little uphill at the beginning was no problem on fresh legs. (I ran the half). I did not appreciate the uphill at the end though. I came right off of a steep downhill sections almost sprinting because it was 13 miles and then see this uphill. I would change that in the future.

Training was okay for me. I would try to run more often during the week and try to run downhill about every other week for my long runs.

3/5 Stars

The bus to get to the start line was full. We had to wait an extra 30 mins for a bus and got to the start only 15 mins prior to the start with a line for the port-o-potty that went into the woods. Afterwards, the walk to the shuttle was a bit lengthy after running a full marathon that was downhill and on a banked road. I came across several individuals that had thrown up due to altitude change.

I did PR. I did not qualify for Boston.

The embankment in the road was hard on the hips and knees. Also, running the highway was dangerous. It was scenic, and gorgeous. At places where the altitude leveled out, I felt dizzy. Maybe have signs that say elevation that way runners know what to 100% expect.

I trained in PA and have run many marathons and half marathons across the US. However, there's no way to train for the change of the embankment in the road.

Train in the heat and on an embarked road. My knees and hips are hurting! AND ... Be prepared to walk and wait for a shuttle after.

Yoga on the Rocks

Travelled from Pittsburgh, PA

5/5 Stars

This is my 3rd year running the half and the most organized so far. Everything from parking attendants showing us where to park to the new finish line location that was grassy, shady and beautiful. Everyone was so friendly great race experience!

I did not PR this year. Last year I PR'd by 9 minutes! I guess I should have left some space for improvement. I think I know where I can improve on that next year though.

I really like the beautiful course next to the river. The hills at the beginning don't even bother me.

Thornton Colorado

5/5 Stars

Buses were easy and comfortable. The start line was ok too. The port-a-pots were in a bad place, and the organisation of the lines was bad. It cannot be stressed enough how important bathrooms are before a race, and they should be plentiful (which they were) and easy to line up and get through (which was more of a challenge). The course was amazing, the expo was efficient, the finish was good. Only negative, no chocolate milk at the finish. We need a protein source after a run like that to help rebuild our muscles. More bananas and gatorade is nice, but that's just more sugar.

Yes. PR improved by 14 minutes. I did qualify for Boston.

Grade and turns were fun. 1st half was very fun, 2nd half was demoralizing with the little flat/uphills. But this of course could be because i went out fast and my quads were toast.

Standard, long runs, recovery runs, speed workouts. Strength training focused on core and legs (squats/deadlifts/plank). 2-3 downhill training runs incorporated into long runs.

Must have the strongest quads of your life. When you feel your self leaning back, take an extra step to speed up your cadence and then lean your hips forward so you land in the center of your shoe instead of the heals. Stay off your heals.

Lunch in Denver. Punch bowl social (good food, free games, shuffleboard, scrabble, ping pong, darts), and then ice cream at Sweet Action Ice Cream.

5/5 Stars

Everything was great! The buses got us where we needed to be on time, the race started on time and everything went exactly as advertised. The aide stations were plentiful and the finisher ' s medal is top notch! BEST...RACE...EVER! See you all in a couple of months in Utah.

I shaved 11 minutes off my half marathon PR (which was set only 3 months ago).

The course was fast and beautiful! I saw some deer around mile marker 7 and an elk around mile 9.