5/5 Stars

From the organized 5am pick-up through the amazing course support to the awesome after-party, this has become my new favorite local race. The course is beautiful. I then like to celebrate my hard work with some great food, beverages, and swag.

Yes, I did PR in the half, and I really didn't train! Wait until next year when I put in some effort.

The course is FAST with not just downhill, but down-mountain grades. The run meandered through the foothills of the Rockies with great views of the mountains and Creek.

Fairly non-existent with running as for the weekly mileage, just random runs. I was only cross-training with boot camps and weights.

Out-of-towners should stay near Golden.
Prepare dress for extremes as it starts in the mountains and can be cool or hot. As always, you will shed as you start running, and this race weather was perfect conditions. Dine in Morrison.

I live here, so I hung out with friends and had a team Pre-Race carbo-loading dinner.

5/5 Stars

Great race, great aid stations, awesome sponsors, very nice course, and a lot of fun!

No

beautiful scenery, awesome downhill race with lots of support

Good enough!

Don't take the downhills lightly. Train for them, go out conservative, and then give it all you got during the last six miles.

5/5 Stars

The weather was awesome! The pickup was great and porta potties at race start were adequate! Great volunteers along the course!

Yes. By 5 minutes and I did qualify for Boston by 2 minutes at 3:52.

The course was a little more hilly than I expected and wide open with no shade from mile 18 on. But was very downhill as described and the aid stations were great especially at the end at 23, 25 & finish.

I ran the Revel Big Cottonwood so I trained with lots of downhill. I trained with speed work as well. I was prepared.

Train well with down hill and hills. Wear sweats and long sleeve you can throw on the course for the chilly temps at the start.

I grew up in Denver so I visit family when I'm there.

5/5 Stars

Sharing in the "runner's high" with so many people; friends, new friends, people I had met while working the expo the day before, and just walking through the masses of runners and listening. I did this race for the first time last year. I was registered to do the 2015 race but due to a cycling accident that broke my hip and collar bone Revel allowed me to defer). 2016 was the "best race ever" for me and for the last year I have been telling that to everyone who would listen. Well people, get ready for hearing it again for another year and 2017 was the BEST RACE EVER!!! And, not just for me but for so many others. Thank you Revel <3 <3 <3

I did :) 14 minutes off last year's time. I am not trying to qualify for Boston but I know several of my friends did at this race. Yay for them!

Beautiful!! Fun!!

I am still such a newbie that I don't feel comfortable offering advice.

Read the information provided by Revel. (I know, you can lead a horse to water...) I was actually surprised at the number of people I talked to while volunteering at the information table that thought the road aerial view was the course and that there was much more up hill than down.

I am blessed to live here.

5/5 Stars

The race is incredibly organized. The volunteers and the staff are super supportive and excited to be there. I loved the music playing at the start of the marathon. The buses were school buses and charter buses would have been preferred, but overall nothing to really complain about.

Yes, but only because it was my first ever marathon. No on Boston for me, but I knew that wasn't even a possibility. The people around me who learned it was my first marathon were some of the most supportive and kindest people ever. They ran with me for about a mile before they continued on their journey. It was great, and towards the end we rallied with the runners around us to push through the pain and finish. This is why I keep racing; I love the running community

The race course was BEAUTIFUL. We drove it the day before so we knew what to expect, and I HIGHLY recommend this to people. The course, because of the turns and grade of descent, makes you run on a slant for a good portion of the race. Miles 1-5 are completely downhill, but when you reach mile 5 you have a slight hill followed by flat. You go a little further and I think it's around 7 when you find a small hill, but then it's downhill until you turn off of Squaw Pass road. Miles 1-11 are a significant descent for you to use to your advantage. You won't feel tired, but you should fuel adequately so you can finish the race. Mile 11-16 you face some large, rolling hills that honestly went by quickly. I played the climbs conservatively and then used the large drops to my advantage at the top of these hills. At 16 you start a flat race until mile 20. This was where I hit the wall and thought it was toughest because of the flatness. Shortly after mile 20 you reach your last hill. From there, you flatten out or descend again. The last two miles are purely downhill with exception of the .1 of a hill to finish, but then you actually finish running down to the finish line with your last 500 feet or so. I didn't notice any elevation problems either, but I think that's because I got in on Friday and was able to acclimate a little bit.

I trained using an app called Aaptiv that has a training plan in it. It was an awesome plan, but I had to modify some because of a shin splint. I've run downhill races before so I knew my body would be pretty wrecked after, and this race magnified that feeling. I would highly recommend hill training to people that don't have large declines. That's pretty hard to train for, but you can usually find a hill to train some on to prepare for the rolling hills. If you have the ability to do some downhill running, by all means take advantage of that.

I recommend getting in on Friday so you can mentally prepare on Saturday and basically relax. Drive the course beforehand if you can. Take layers for the top because it is chilly, but you won't need them to run in. Apply sunscreen from the nose down so you don't get sunscreen in your eyes as you run, but definitely don't try to get away from not applying. You'll need it because once you're out of the first 11 miles there isn't much shade on the course. Take your own gels and chews so you have them, and use the aid station ones just in case. I grabbed at aid stations and put them in my belt with my own just in case I would need them. I'm glad I did because I ended up using one or two more gels than I anticipated. I bought a lot of asics 6 weeks out from the race and ONLY wore them for training/the race. My shoes weren't worn out and my legs and felt healthy for the entire race. Take sandals to change into afterwards and be prepared to walk about a half mile to the shuttle. That sucked.

We went to the zoo after the race to try to keep the blood moving and just do a little walking for recovery. We went to voodoo doughnuts too which is cash only FYI if you're thinking about visiting there too.

5/5 Stars

It was so well-organized! Loved the race route, the support along the way, the finish line festivities! Anna did a great job! She deserves lots of kudos for a job well done!

No personal record. I did finish 3rd in my age group category.

Gorgeous course! Couldn't have chosen a better route!!! The slight downhill grade was perfect for a novice like me. I've never done a 1/2 marathon & it was so enjoyable partly because of the course.

Our group leader & organizer provided monthly informational meetings (nutrition, chiropractic, yoga, running accessories). And we signed up to train in like groups during the week. Weekends brought opportunities to train once again with like groups. This kind of support created a strong sense of community, excitement & confidence.

I would refer you to my answer for #5. This type of preparation appealed to physical, emotional,and mental preparation. It was great.

Enjoyed the after race food & camaraderie in Morrison. I live in this area.

5/5 Stars

Great

Very beautiful

Husband has breakfast waiting for me and ride his bike

5/5 Stars

Terrific race and awesome course. Can hardly wait for next year! Thank you.

Yes. Over 4 minutes. No on qualifying. I am currently half way through my radiation and chemo treatments for brain cancer. I ran to inspire others.

Wonderful. Very well organized

Very little. Consistency. Train more. Train gradually, but continually.

Dress in layers. Wear sunscreen.

Pictures. Beer garden, but beer left much to be desired. Maybe more seating.
Westminster, CO

5/5 Stars

Fantastic weather. Very organized. I was thrilled to see us boarding a shuttle to the start line with no issues. The run itself was gorgeous. I found myself gazing at the stream, wondering where I could fish.
Getting back to my car was super easy. This is my new favorite 1/2 Marathon!

Yes, but only by two minutes.

Gorgeous scenery. Grade was definitely manageable. What we struggled with was the pitch of the roads on the turns. We definitely felt that in our ankles and balls of our feet. Elevation was no problem at all.

I had short runs 2x week and a long run on Sundays. Definitely incorporate some downhill in your trainings. For four weeks all my short runs were downhill.

Definitely incorporate some downhill in your trainings.

Nothing on race day but we are going back to Morrison for Fathers Day breakfast because we were reminded what a cool town Morrison is.

5/5 Stars

Great event and great feeling at the end.

Yes is PRd- finished about 10 mins earlier than expected (ran faster min/miles than what I normally did while training).
Did not qualify for Boston. Is my first half marathon, and I did it almost 9 months after I had my third and last baby, and had two outpatient surgeries- so this was for me to get motivated to get back in shape and moving.

Beautiful and fast- as described!

Trained mostly on my own close to the venue (Morrison), and also trained for some longer runs with Team Solterra RAW.

Train, listen to your body, pace yourself and have fun. Hydrate in advance!

Just hang out. Had a beer.