Dec 23, 2024
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Estes Park Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Estes Park Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 2.9
Number of comments: 66 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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S. M. from Ohio
(6/27/2021)
"Beautiful course and great organizers" (about: 2021)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Estes Park Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon had a spectacular course. The views were breathtaking, and I will never forget watching the sunrise over the mountains as we descended down into Estes Park. I was one of the few 'flatlanders' in the group, and I must say that arriving within 24 hours of the start, as suggested, made a positive difference. The initial descent was difficult because of the high elevation at the start, but once we were in Estes Park - I believe a 2,000 feet decline - breathing and exertion were "easier." Still, it was tough! The organizers and fellow runners were incredibly friendly and helpful. Especially for someone who wasn't from altitude! I received many helpful tips before and during the race, and that made my experience better. Also, the aid stations were incredibly stocked and staffed! My only concern, which I shared with the race officials, is that there were numerous instances of road rage and aggressive driving along the course. I witnessed two drivers scold police and two other drivers yell at runners. That seemed odd given the friendly and touristy nature of Estes Park, but nevertheless there were moments when sharing the road seemed scary. Despite that, the scenic course and the people on or along it made this memorable! | |
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M. T. from Nebraska
(6/22/2019)
"It was the best of times,it was the worst of times" (about: 2019)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Estes Park Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 50th marathon. Best course. Best volunteers. Best support. Loved every minute of it...until we crossed the finish line. No medals left. Was told there were a lot of 'last-minute marathon registrants', so they had more marathoners than medals. What? We crossed the finish, to be told we would have a medal 'mailed to us'. A volunteer tried to give me a half-marathon medal. Man, peace. Keep that thing. Brought my family to Estes for this one. Never had this happen in 49 other marathons. Next time, don't give medals to late registrants...we registered MONTHS in advance. Tell them 'it's in the mail'...and you'll send it after you order it from China. (exact quote) Either this was a blind money grab for registration fees or gross incompetence. Don't tell me you don't know how many medals you purchased and how many runners there are. Broke my heart. You'd think after 49 other races I wouldn't care - I would have said the same before this...but I was really mad. This race had been a perfect experience up until this moment. Great small-town race. | |
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Martina Ritchie from Colorado Springs, CO
(8/2/2015)
"Best race EVER!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Estes Park Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Ran the Half. Loved everything. Water stops were fully stocked for the entire Half, unbelievable! Wonderful volunteers. Beautiful course. Don't know why the race is so small. Am definitely running it next year! | |
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R. B. from Kansas City, MO
(2/10/2015)
"Great Marathon for the Novice" (about: 2014)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and I can't speak highly enough about my experience at this race. Great volunteers, AMAZING aid stations, and breathtaking scenery. The weather was perfect throughout the entire day. It's a very small race, so if you are looking for lots of spectators or fellow participants- look elsewhere. I've never seen aid stations stocked so well- and I've run many half marathons and they have nothing on this race! The marathon course is 2 loops of the half marathon course...while the course was gorgeous, I would have preferred to not to run 2 loops. Overall, I would definitely recommend this race to anyone who is brave enough to tackle the altitude. Make a long weekend out of it- we did and enjoyed all that Estes Park and the Rockies had to offer. Cheers! | |
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D. C. from Iowa
(6/23/2013)
"Prettiest Course EvER!" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Estes Park Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I did it! I finished my first marathon!, in Estes!, starting at 7,522 ft elevation!, and I trained at 700 ft elevation, :)! This marathon is the world's highest paved marathon and is worth the experience! The course is the most beautiful figure 8, with a little lake loop in the middle. Every way you look there is a mountain view! Again, it was so pretty! HILLS: There are 2 major hill climbs and 2 short climbs. Miles 1-6 ish is the Fish Creek Hill that takes you to the races' highest elevation, once at the top we screamed from excitement for completing the hardest challenge! Then it's downhill for miles and miles! There is one hill on the lake loop that is very short and one hill after the lake loop up the highway. The second major hill climb is the Dry Gulch and Devils Gulch climb, miles 16.5ish to 20.5ish (can't remember). This one is hot if clouds aren't out, and once you turn onto Devils (and keep climbing more) there is a possibility for wind. Once you hit the crest on Devils it is downhill for miles and miles till finish! (Maybe a few ups, but minor compared to what you already survived! :)!) As for altitude, I think it's important to know how your body responds to altitude. We come to Colorado at least twice a year, by now, I know my body adjusts quickly to it. But I still stayed in Estes for 2 weeks before the race and drank massive amounts of water in the days leading up to the race. SPECTATORS: This is the kind of race where it is great to bring your own cheer squad! Really, make a family week of it, invite friends, in-laws, etc! My friend and I had a cheer squad of 20 who literally drove, biked, and ran the course with us! Because there is a small entry number, they do not close roads (except at race intersections), so my husband and kids drove the car and blared music, banged pots, refilled bottles, gave food, sunscreen, etc. Or they biked alongside us, or they ran a section of the course, like my friend ran up Dry Gulch with me and my son ran the last 3 miles with me. So much fun! Also, other runners benefit from your cheer squad! My husband, who spent his Father's Day with the kids traveling the course, said it was so much fun to be able to cheer and encourage and support me so closely on the course! I could not have done it without them! VOLUNTEERS: The best! They were so cheerful and helpful! Every aid station person was so great! They took such pride in their jobs! They stayed till the end cheering and welcoming in every runner! There was med support at the finish line, snacks immediately at the finish line and food was inside the school. I finished in a little over 5 hrs and there was still lots of snacks, pizza, breakfast burritos, and my favorite: a delicious salad. The salad was the only thing i wanted to eat and it tasted SO good! Seriously, the elevation is impressive, the 2 hills you climb are impressive, but the beauty is the most impressive of all! So worth it! Yes, there is no huge expo and there aren't ten thousands of participants, but when I go into the mountains that is not what I expect. The beauty, the family, the friends, that's the mountains, so beautiful and so worth it! | |
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C. G. from Chicago
(6/19/2013)
"Beautiful tough course." (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Estes Park Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is an absolutely gorgeous course. Well organized, well staffed and well marked. Aid stations were well stocked, many with fruit, etc. I'm a 62 year old walker from Chicago who just had to do this marathon. Always loved Colorado and the Rocky Mountain NP. The altitude is a tough one, especially for a lifelong flatlander. About 70% of this year's participants were from Colorado which makes sense. I got there 5 days early to acclimatize as best I could. The spectators were few and far between, at least for me at the tail end of the race. I didn't expect otherwise and it didn't bother me. The weather cooperated a lot. Sunny at the start when the temps were the lowest, then overcast for much of the rest of my time on the course. Wind was not a major factor this year. A few windy spots, but overall ok. The Hydrapouch was ok until it fell off my belt somewhere along the second half of the race. There is no way filling the Hydrapouch is as fast as using cups. Even for me at the back end of the race there were some backups waiting to get it filled. I just wanted to finish so a few delays were no big deal to me, but I can only imagine what it might have been like if a dozen or so runners showed up about the same time although cups were available as well. Surely better environmentally than cups, but the best part for me was the ability to fill up other liquid containers from the Hydrapouch machine, like an empty Gatorade bottle. Only two negatives from my point of view: some of the course is on small roads with traffic, many going pretty fast. Especially the second half of the course. The good news is most of the back roads are lightly traveled, but there are no barriers between runners and cars and often very little space between me and the cars going by. The drivers were all polite, but with the hills and the curves, cars came up on you with little advance notice for runner or driver. Second, I had a question about what I perceived as a lack of medical support on the course. I did the Shiprock marathon on the Navajo Reservation last year, a similarly sized marathon, about 150 finishers. Police and medical vehicles were going up and down the course throughout the race, asking the tail enders like me if I was ok (I was, but I saw them a lot). The 2012 Tucson marathon I did had volunteers riding bikes up and down the course checking on people. For the EP marathon, other than seeing a few motorcycle police flying by now and then and not really looking at you, I saw no other marathon volunteers or medical personnel between aid stations. There are some long stretches where someone could have a problem and not be seen for awhile. For a high altitude course like EP, I'd think a little more oversight might be a good idea. Participant shirt was nice. Medal nothing special, but I'll still cherish it. Can't be many courses more beautiful to do or more rewarding to complete. | |
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W. C. from Upstate NY
(6/18/2013)
"Beautiful but challenging!" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Estes Park Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Thank God for the majestic scenery, for it is what helped me get through the grueling challenge of the EPM. Pros: gorgeous vistas, great volunteers, hydra pouches, nice road conditions, and plenty of public restrooms. Cons: no Expo to speak of, virtually no spectators, and high altitude was a b*tch. This race was a mental struggle the entire way, but I'm glad I did it. | |
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D. M. from Fort Collins, CO
(6/17/2013)
"Rewards at top of every hill + some" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Estes Park Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This marathon is one of the best sightseeing runs of all time . . . climing up two long hills (on different sides of the valley) give you exceptional aspect variety - showcasing some of the most beautiful mt scenery in the world. Other plus' this year included lots of elk (many young calfs that are too cute for words). The race is hard - many miles of climing at high altitude. And, usually this time of year is pretty warm so the heat also adds some extra challenge. The medal is simmple-cool and was made by a local / famous pewter artist. This years' (mens/womens) t-shirts looked really good. OK - They had run out of pizza by the time I got there at 12:00 but the salad was great. Recommendation: unless you live at at least 5,000', come in a couple days early to acclimate. | |
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C. S. from Colorado
(6/26/2012)
"Terrific, challenging race!" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Estes Park Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Like previous posters have said, this is not a race to PR in, but it is definitely worth it! It was hot and windy this year, but this summer has been unusually hot everywhere in CO. I would recommend carrying your own water...the aid stations are well-stocked, but when it's hot and at high altitude, carrying your own is smart. I carried a 12 oz. handheld and refilled every few miles the high-speed nozzles are awesome and I didn't lose much time at all refilling. The volunteers are great, too - one even offered to fill my bottle and run it up to me so I wouldn't lose time. Overall, I definitely recommend this race! | |
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M. S. from Fort Collins, CO
(6/22/2012)
"GRUESOME!" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 An extremely difficult race course. Combination of altitude + hills + wind were very humbling. I found this to be harder than the marathon at the end of an ironman distance triathalon. I'd put emphasis on controlling your speed/effort on the first big hill (miles 2-6) so you have gas left in the tank for the rest of the race. Organization of the race and support were great. Fan support was what you would expect from a small town marathon: meager. |
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