Reviews for Estes Park Marathon (8)

This was one of my favorite races ever. The glory of this race is the setting. Forget the crowds, forget the PRs, forget the underpinnings of the "packaging" of less spectacular races. This race is a spiritual experience. Coming off the long climb on Dry Gulch road and seeing the beautiful rim of snow capped peaks to your left on Hbar Ranch Road is breathtaking and inspiring. Feeling the euphoria of a momentary reprieve from the uphill climb, and feeling the fresh cool air reviving your lungs, was one of those "aha" moments of life. From the pre-race meal at Mama Rosa's (I highly recommend the Tri-colore lasagne)to the post party, I found the race simple, understated, and refreshing. Thanks, Estes Park!

My husband and I ran our first 10K race at this event. It was fun, challenging and the scenery was amazing! All of the volunteers were very encouraging which made our first race a wonderful and exciting experience. We will, without a doubt, attend this event every year, and maybe try the half marathon next year. Thank you EPM Volunteers! We loved it!

I've run the half marathon three times now and I seem to enjoy the weekend more and more each year I come back. The area is beautiful, the course is challenging, and all of the volunteers are fantastic! I would, without any hesistation, recommend this to anyone looking for a memorable weekend.

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Having run the past two years (and intending to run many more), I think the Estes Park Marathon is a fantastic race! First and foremost, the course receives a very high scenery rating. As you wend your way around and about the town of Estes Park you see the Rocky Mountains above you from a multitude of different angles. For example, at the beginning you feel like you are running right up to Longs Peak, and later it appears far away across the valley. Because the course is paved, you can actually admire all of these views instead of just gazing at your feet. Second, the race is very well organized. The start happens on time, the course is well marked, there are sufficient aid stations, friendly volunteers, and it seems like the whole town is out to welcome the runners. One nice detail: although the half and full marathon start at the same time, they start on different sides of the local high school and start on different courses. That way the marathoners aren't too tempted to chase the half-marathoners. The food afterwards was good, and sitting in the grass field of the high school is a great way to recover and contemplate the fun of the day. Because you are at high altitude, this race is clearly not for making PRs, but it more than makes up for it in being a great place to have a super running experience.