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Marathon Details - Boulder Backroads Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > CO > Boulder > Boulder Backroads Marathon

Boulder Backroads Marathon

Boulder Backroads Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K

Boulder, CO USA

September 9, 2018

https://www.runboulderevents.com

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Race Details

Run the beautiful rural backroads of Boulder, Colorado. Start and finish at the Boulder Reservoir. 85% of course is on soft-pack county dirt road. Fully supported; great food and drink at the finish, including local microbrews! Half marathon is out and back; full is a loop course...both are relatively flat, with a few gentle hills. A great first-timers race. Register today!

Contact Information

Name:	Henry Guzman
Address:	629 South Broadway, Boulder CO 80305
Phone Number:	303-554-7837
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (89)

Course 4.1

Organization 3.5

Spectators 3.3

Write a review

Number of comments: 89 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

A. F. from Firestone, CO (10/9/2017) "It just felt like another training run." (about: 2017) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my first marathon, so I was pretty nervous, yet pumped about it. The run itself wasn't bad... the full marathon was two loops of the half. There was only one or two hills, and they were fairly easy hills at that (all my training was done with NO hills, and I still didn't have much of an issue with the hills). However, I decided I don't like the two loop format. The run started out with lots of people around, and there were a few spectators riding their bikes to be able to be at multiple mile markers. However, once I completed the first loop and was on to the second loop, there was pretty much NO ONE. All the runners around me were only doing the half, so suddenly I was running all alone, and the few spectators that were there in the first half were no longer there. I'm pretty sure I only saw 3 groups (families) of spectators after the second half. It pretty much just felt like another training run... running all alone with me and my music. If you are someone who likes running with a big crowd, with people cheering you on, this is NOT the race for you. If you like your solitude, then you'll probably enjoy it. I felt that there were plenty of aid stations along the way (every few miles or so if I remember correctly), however my biggest complaint is that there was just about nothing at the finish line. There was water, but I couldn't find any sports drinks anywhere! Also, since there was a 10k, half marathon, and full marathon, all the snacks were picked over by the time I finished. I didn't run fast, but I finished in less than 5 hours... I mean, that's not THAT slow to run a marathon. There were people finishing after me, so I feel like there should have been more snacks available. There were literally only bags of chips left at the snack table. There was also no excitement going at the finish line. I'm used to doing runs where there are festivities and music and fun things going on, but there wasn't any of that. All I did was drink a few cups of water and then leave to go get some lunch/something to drink other than water so I could replace some of those electrolytes I lost. To sum it up, it basically just felt like another training run for me. I'm not sure why the entry fee was $100 when all I got out of them was free water and a bag of chips (that I couldn't even eat because my stomach couldn't handle it).
J. S. from Superior, Colorado (9/28/2015) "Excellent event, thank you for bringing it back!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon and absolutely loved it! It was very well organized, we got great swag, the course support and aid stations were outstanding! It is also one of the most beautiful courses I have run in years! I am so glad a quality race organizer revised this great event and hope to see many, many more participants in years to come.
A. P. from Boulder, CO (9/25/2015) "Awesome course and great organization!" (about: 2015) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the 1/2 marathon. Loved the start time of 7:15, and the course was awesome. Slightly uphill going out, but coming back the slightly downhill helped me run a negative split! Excellent after-race refreshments. The new organizer was on top of everything, from packet pickup to parking to the start line. I will definitely run this every year now. Great experience.
A. B. from Boulder, CO (9/25/2015) "Gorgeous course, great post-race beer & food." (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I did the half-marathon this year. The course is absolutely spectacular. I've done a few out-and-back races at the reservoir and those are fine, but this course just had eye candy at almost every turn. The race was well organized, lots of aid stations well-staffed, and the post-race beer and food was outstanding. I'll definitely do this one again.
E. M. from Boulder CO (9/24/2015) "Beautiful, well-supported Half Marathon!" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Boulder Backroads Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a great course with lots of race marshals, volunteers at aid stations to cheer you on, and a clearly marked course. It was smoothly run from start to finish. Thank you for bringing back this course, and doing it so seamlessly. I'll be back next year for sure!
J. P. from Boulder (7/27/2015) "My first marathon - hooray!" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The year I ran (2012) I really didn't have any complaints, and as far as I can recall I had a pretty good time. It was my first marathon, so I could be biased from all the happy-chemicals my brain was making at the finish, but I remember the race fondly and I'm glad to have run it. It was hot toward the end, but the course support was adequate - plenty of water, gels, orange slices, bananas, and sports drink, and the finish had all the bells and whistles you'd expect. There were also plenty of portopotties available too, so the lines weren't too long at the start/finish. The shirt and medal were nice, the post-race vendors were good, the emcee was funny and full of pep, and there was still food left when I finished in 4:30 (yay!), although I could tell some of the more desirable snacks had been picked over pretty well by earlier finishers. I still have my pint glass, technical hat, and race poster (they had a local artist do unique artwork each year and everyone got to take home a big poster). Mine obviously got crinkly because I never bothered to go get it framed, but it was still a cool touch and something I hadn't seen at any other races before or to date since. The course is nice in that it's almost entirely dirt road, and I guess the views are nice (I live in Boulder and train there all the time, so I must be jaded). There isn't a ton of shade, but being able to dip your legs into the chilly reservoir after is a big bonus. The race has changed ownership this year (2015) after a controversy with the past director, and I have faith in the new director (Henry) to put on a good race. So if you've been turned off by some of the negative reviews, let it be known that 1) Some of us had a great time running it in 2012, and 2) Things will be different under the new director.
A. S. from Colorado (5/9/2014) "Safety Issues" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 The race support, ambulances, and vendors left before the race was over. If you run over a 2:30 half, this is not the race for you. I finished to no water and no food; I lived. The 20-year-old that collapsed and suffered 20 minutes of chest compression while waiting for an ambulance did not. Course was open to traffic.
A. K. from CO (6/13/2013) "Great Marathon" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I don't understand the negative comments, so I'll tell you my experience. 1) Beautiful course. Hilly, so not a PB for me, but one of the prettiest runs you can imagine. 2) The shirt was weird, but the beer glass made up for the lame shirt! 3) The beer at the end (Boulder brewery?) was superb! 4) Small feel to this marathon, under-rated in all respects. 5) No crowd support of any size, but enthusiastic small groups. 6) Expensive, but still worth it IMHO.
J. V. from Northwest Indiana (10/28/2012) "Very well organized and the view was amazing" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Boulder Backroads Marathon was my 20th marathon and is one of my favorites to date. The scenery was breathtaking - especially the sunrise race start - the course was relatively flat and the organization was good. The spectator rating was given a 3-star, only because there just weren't that many people out. Those that were out were very supportive and kind. If you feed off crowd support, you will go hungry. I personally appreciated the lower spectator numbers. I ran Chicago two weeks prior and you can't find a moment's quiet in that marathon. The marathon was run almost entirely on compacted dirt roads and that was very easy on the joints. I was only a little sore the next day and I attribute that to not running on blacktop or cement. All in all a great run!
A. R. from Franklin, TN (10/23/2012) "Excellent race, with poor logistic support" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Let me start by saying that Boulder, CO is a fantastic place to run and spend a long weekend. The 26.2 miles of the race were very nice, fairly scenic, plentiful enthusiastic volunteers, with lots of well-stocked aid stations. The race organizers did a great job with this part of the weekend. Unfortunately, everything else, both pre- and post-race needs help. At packet pick-up, no one knew where the packets were. Initial pick up was at Fleet Feet, who sent me to the race site, who said to go back to Fleet Feet for it, who then sent me back to the race site, where I got my bib, shirt, but not the souvenir pint glass. I had to go back to Fleet Feet after the race for this. Traffic into and out of the race area was very congested. The website warned of this, so those arriving late have no excuse. However, it took me 30 min to get out of the parking area and onto the road after the race. Also, the finish area was too congested. After crossing the line, the medals were laid out on tables, and you could just pick one up. I intially picked up a medal for the 5mile race finishers. No one bothered to hand you the correct one. There was 1 tent with orange and banana slices, and coolers with water and cups. No bottles of water, no cokes. After a marathon, I didn't want to stand there repeatedly filling a 4oz cup with water. There was a large area with sponsor tents set up. Evol Burritos had a truck, but the line had >50 people in it, and after standing around waiting at the water cooler, I didn't want to stand any longer. The beer tent had an even longer, slower moving line. Again, the race itself was nice, the surrounding town was great. The organization was poor. My main suggestions would be to limit the finish area just to actual runners, not family, too. Also, keep the food close by and make it more easily accessible. I applaud the efforts of keeping this a 'green' event, but please offer bottles of water/gatorade/coke/anything at the finish, so we don't have to stand there refilling small cups over and over again. Once I made it to the car, I needed about 10 of those cups or 1 bottle of something. Finally, please do something to ease traffic. There were lots of police on the course, maybe one could be repositioned in the parking lot.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]



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A. F. from Firestone, CO (10/9/2017) "It just felt like another training run." (about: 2017) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my first marathon, so I was pretty nervous, yet pumped about it. The run itself wasn't bad... the full marathon was two loops of the half. There was only one or two hills, and they were fairly easy hills at that (all my training was done with NO hills, and I still didn't have much of an issue with the hills). However, I decided I don't like the two loop format. The run started out with lots of people around, and there were a few spectators riding their bikes to be able to be at multiple mile markers. However, once I completed the first loop and was on to the second loop, there was pretty much NO ONE. All the runners around me were only doing the half, so suddenly I was running all alone, and the few spectators that were there in the first half were no longer there. I'm pretty sure I only saw 3 groups (families) of spectators after the second half. It pretty much just felt like another training run... running all alone with me and my music. If you are someone who likes running with a big crowd, with people cheering you on, this is NOT the race for you. If you like your solitude, then you'll probably enjoy it. I felt that there were plenty of aid stations along the way (every few miles or so if I remember correctly), however my biggest complaint is that there was just about nothing at the finish line. There was water, but I couldn't find any sports drinks anywhere! Also, since there was a 10k, half marathon, and full marathon, all the snacks were picked over by the time I finished. I didn't run fast, but I finished in less than 5 hours... I mean, that's not THAT slow to run a marathon. There were people finishing after me, so I feel like there should have been more snacks available. There were literally only bags of chips left at the snack table. There was also no excitement going at the finish line. I'm used to doing runs where there are festivities and music and fun things going on, but there wasn't any of that. All I did was drink a few cups of water and then leave to go get some lunch/something to drink other than water so I could replace some of those electrolytes I lost. To sum it up, it basically just felt like another training run for me. I'm not sure why the entry fee was $100 when all I got out of them was free water and a bag of chips (that I couldn't even eat because my stomach couldn't handle it).
J. S. from Superior, Colorado (9/28/2015) "Excellent event, thank you for bringing it back!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon and absolutely loved it! It was very well organized, we got great swag, the course support and aid stations were outstanding! It is also one of the most beautiful courses I have run in years! I am so glad a quality race organizer revised this great event and hope to see many, many more participants in years to come.
A. P. from Boulder, CO (9/25/2015) "Awesome course and great organization!" (about: 2015) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the 1/2 marathon. Loved the start time of 7:15, and the course was awesome. Slightly uphill going out, but coming back the slightly downhill helped me run a negative split! Excellent after-race refreshments. The new organizer was on top of everything, from packet pickup to parking to the start line. I will definitely run this every year now. Great experience.
A. B. from Boulder, CO (9/25/2015) "Gorgeous course, great post-race beer & food." (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I did the half-marathon this year. The course is absolutely spectacular. I've done a few out-and-back races at the reservoir and those are fine, but this course just had eye candy at almost every turn. The race was well organized, lots of aid stations well-staffed, and the post-race beer and food was outstanding. I'll definitely do this one again.
E. M. from Boulder CO (9/24/2015) "Beautiful, well-supported Half Marathon!" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Boulder Backroads Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a great course with lots of race marshals, volunteers at aid stations to cheer you on, and a clearly marked course. It was smoothly run from start to finish. Thank you for bringing back this course, and doing it so seamlessly. I'll be back next year for sure!
J. P. from Boulder (7/27/2015) "My first marathon - hooray!" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The year I ran (2012) I really didn't have any complaints, and as far as I can recall I had a pretty good time. It was my first marathon, so I could be biased from all the happy-chemicals my brain was making at the finish, but I remember the race fondly and I'm glad to have run it. It was hot toward the end, but the course support was adequate - plenty of water, gels, orange slices, bananas, and sports drink, and the finish had all the bells and whistles you'd expect. There were also plenty of portopotties available too, so the lines weren't too long at the start/finish. The shirt and medal were nice, the post-race vendors were good, the emcee was funny and full of pep, and there was still food left when I finished in 4:30 (yay!), although I could tell some of the more desirable snacks had been picked over pretty well by earlier finishers. I still have my pint glass, technical hat, and race poster (they had a local artist do unique artwork each year and everyone got to take home a big poster). Mine obviously got crinkly because I never bothered to go get it framed, but it was still a cool touch and something I hadn't seen at any other races before or to date since. The course is nice in that it's almost entirely dirt road, and I guess the views are nice (I live in Boulder and train there all the time, so I must be jaded). There isn't a ton of shade, but being able to dip your legs into the chilly reservoir after is a big bonus. The race has changed ownership this year (2015) after a controversy with the past director, and I have faith in the new director (Henry) to put on a good race. So if you've been turned off by some of the negative reviews, let it be known that 1) Some of us had a great time running it in 2012, and 2) Things will be different under the new director.
A. S. from Colorado (5/9/2014) "Safety Issues" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 The race support, ambulances, and vendors left before the race was over. If you run over a 2:30 half, this is not the race for you. I finished to no water and no food; I lived. The 20-year-old that collapsed and suffered 20 minutes of chest compression while waiting for an ambulance did not. Course was open to traffic.
A. K. from CO (6/13/2013) "Great Marathon" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I don't understand the negative comments, so I'll tell you my experience. 1) Beautiful course. Hilly, so not a PB for me, but one of the prettiest runs you can imagine. 2) The shirt was weird, but the beer glass made up for the lame shirt! 3) The beer at the end (Boulder brewery?) was superb! 4) Small feel to this marathon, under-rated in all respects. 5) No crowd support of any size, but enthusiastic small groups. 6) Expensive, but still worth it IMHO.
J. V. from Northwest Indiana (10/28/2012) "Very well organized and the view was amazing" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Boulder Backroads Marathon was my 20th marathon and is one of my favorites to date. The scenery was breathtaking - especially the sunrise race start - the course was relatively flat and the organization was good. The spectator rating was given a 3-star, only because there just weren't that many people out. Those that were out were very supportive and kind. If you feed off crowd support, you will go hungry. I personally appreciated the lower spectator numbers. I ran Chicago two weeks prior and you can't find a moment's quiet in that marathon. The marathon was run almost entirely on compacted dirt roads and that was very easy on the joints. I was only a little sore the next day and I attribute that to not running on blacktop or cement. All in all a great run!
A. R. from Franklin, TN (10/23/2012) "Excellent race, with poor logistic support" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boulder Backroads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Let me start by saying that Boulder, CO is a fantastic place to run and spend a long weekend. The 26.2 miles of the race were very nice, fairly scenic, plentiful enthusiastic volunteers, with lots of well-stocked aid stations. The race organizers did a great job with this part of the weekend. Unfortunately, everything else, both pre- and post-race needs help. At packet pick-up, no one knew where the packets were. Initial pick up was at Fleet Feet, who sent me to the race site, who said to go back to Fleet Feet for it, who then sent me back to the race site, where I got my bib, shirt, but not the souvenir pint glass. I had to go back to Fleet Feet after the race for this. Traffic into and out of the race area was very congested. The website warned of this, so those arriving late have no excuse. However, it took me 30 min to get out of the parking area and onto the road after the race. Also, the finish area was too congested. After crossing the line, the medals were laid out on tables, and you could just pick one up. I intially picked up a medal for the 5mile race finishers. No one bothered to hand you the correct one. There was 1 tent with orange and banana slices, and coolers with water and cups. No bottles of water, no cokes. After a marathon, I didn't want to stand there repeatedly filling a 4oz cup with water. There was a large area with sponsor tents set up. Evol Burritos had a truck, but the line had >50 people in it, and after standing around waiting at the water cooler, I didn't want to stand any longer. The beer tent had an even longer, slower moving line. Again, the race itself was nice, the surrounding town was great. The organization was poor. My main suggestions would be to limit the finish area just to actual runners, not family, too. Also, keep the food close by and make it more easily accessible. I applaud the efforts of keeping this a 'green' event, but please offer bottles of water/gatorade/coke/anything at the finish, so we don't have to stand there refilling small cups over and over again. Once I made it to the car, I needed about 10 of those cups or 1 bottle of something. Finally, please do something to ease traffic. There were lots of police on the course, maybe one could be repositioned in the parking lot.

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Marathon Details - Boulder Backroads Marathon