Emerald Mountain Epic
Steamboat Springs, CO
- Marathon, Half Marathon
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Welcome to the Emerald Mountain Epic presented by Hard Headed. Every year, riders and runners flock to some of Steamboat Springs’ most iconic trails to participate in our two-day trail event. You can expect to test your endurance, grit, and moral in what’s come to be know a uniquely rewarding … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Aug 09):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 77 | 76 | 77 | 89 | 85 |
| L (°F) | 42 | 50 | 41 | 47 | 48 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Beautuful Scenery, But Not Great Race
I raced in another marathon the day before I ran Emerald Mountain, so I was in the back half of the pack. You begin climbing from the start of the … MORE
I raced in another marathon the day before I ran Emerald Mountain, so I was in the back half of the pack.
You begin climbing from the start of the race. We started at around 6700′ and we climbed to around 8200′, so it was challenging. That being said, it was beautiful. The course had a fair amount rocks and roots. There were no mile markers on the course and the directional arrows could have been more frequent.
The aid stations were well stocked with water, electrolytes, Coke, snacks, fruit, etc., and the volunteers were nice. They should have had another aid station or two on the course. There was a seven mile stretch (between mile 12.5 and 19.5) with no aid station. I carry what I need for a race, but it seemed too far for a course like this.
If you’re into swag, this is not your race. They gave me the wrong t-shirt size and they didn’t have extras, so I’m stuck with a shirt I can’t wear. They also don’t give finisher medals. I don’t do these races for the medals, but it is nice to have something to commerate your race. They opted not to use a legit race photography company this year; it looks as if they used an individual photographer to save money. Photos didn’t look bad, but I wasn’t in a single one. By the time I crossed the finish line, all of the vendors, food, etc. were pretty much packed up and heading out. I was proud that I finished, but that part didn’t feel great.
Bottom line, if you’re looking to do a race in Colorado or just a mountain race, there are much better options out there. The scenery was nice, but the race production and swag were sorely lacking.
Beautiful race, good elevation challenge
Race was so much fun! First half mile is steep and slow as everyone gets a bit bottle necked. By end of the first mile or so, pace kicks in … MORE
Race was so much fun! First half mile is steep and slow as everyone gets a bit bottle necked. By end of the first mile or so, pace kicks in and people spread out. Too many walkers started in the front of the pack, slowing down all the runners behind them. Waves would be really nice!!!
The photographer they used was the best I’ve seen on a race. The pictures are stunning of the landscape and terrain. Incredible!
4 aid stations on the course. Clean trails. One Boulder field on the downhill that was a little slow. Beautiful wild flowers all around you! I’ll definitely run this again.
Would prefer if bibs had timing chips, timing wasn’t very exact (someone was recording it by hand and we all started in one wave). It took a bit to even cross the start line after the race began. A mile marker somewhere on the course would be helpful. This was the first race I’ve ever ran without any distance markers. I asked at the aid stations, but the volunteers all had different guesses!!!
A bit disappointed in the lack of race swag. Beers and sandwiches at the finish we’re nice. Received a yellow race tee with your bib. A few race water bottles were available, but it seemed they were all snagged by spectators before racers even got a chance to finish and get one. This happened both days, on the bike and run portions.
Stinger was super stingy on handing out any products. Very disappointing. Had to buy them or settle for samples that everyone had their hands in ( waffles and gummies). For a big company, they were not very racer friendly. It wouldn’t kill them to hand out free full sized products to ravers, especially as the main sponsor of the race.