The Long View Marathon

The Long View Marathon is not targeted towards elites, and it has a small field (141 finishers in the full this year, 344 in the half). I ran with a friend and paced him through to under three hours. The pluses include an attractive point-to-point course that runs through Fort Collins and then on to Loveland with views of the foothills and prairies. Most of the way is a well-maintained paved footpath/trail that gives good speed for a race at altitude. There are hills, but they are gentle. In addition, there are many stops along the way that allow family and friends to support the runners. The weather was perfect, nice and cool with no wind. The only organizational problem was a mix-up with the medals, so we received the full-marathon medals in the mail. I really enjoyed this one, especially since Fort Collins is my home, and I appreciate the careful effort that went into it from the organizers.

Nice marathon, but small enough that there are some issues. It is quite hostile toward back-of-the-packers, with water stops closing early and no food at the finish. The finisher's medals said 'Longview Half Marathon,' etc. Won't do this one again.