So gorgeous and equally challenging. The marathon course runs up two different mountains from approximately 8600 ft to 10,000 ft. As a flatlander it seemed that the uphill running would … MORE
So gorgeous and equally challenging. The marathon course runs up two different mountains from approximately 8600 ft to 10,000 ft. As a flatlander it seemed that the uphill running would never end. The first mountain is a series of switchbacks with a technical rocky road. Once you finally make it up to the forest at 10k ft you run loops on softer ground but the course rarely flattens out completely. You are ultimately rewarded with the downhill switchbacks that brought you up the mountain. This can be a fast section if you are adept at traversing the rocks but it can be treacherous. At mile 20 you start the second climb up the ski slope which is laughably steep. From the ground it doesn’t look too bad, but the hill keeps going up and up and up to the highest point possible. After reaching the peak it’s about 4+ miles down soft switchbacks. (The course is over 27 miles) If you still have legs you can make some good time here, but for me it was just a nice fast walk jog, knowing that I would indeed finish the race if I didn’t let my heart rate get too high. Having noted the technical challenges I’ll say that the views make it all worth it. I forced myself to stop and take pictures several times since I wasn’t competitive on this race . Also met several special people on this race that made it very enjoyable and fulfilling. Final tip: take walking poles! I did not but a nice young lady let me have one of hers going up the ski slope. It was a game changer for me and I’m forever grateful for her generosity.
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Beautiful and Challenging
So gorgeous and equally challenging. The marathon course runs up two different mountains from approximately 8600 ft to 10,000 ft. As a flatlander it seemed that the uphill running would … MORE
So gorgeous and equally challenging. The marathon course runs up two different mountains from approximately 8600 ft to 10,000 ft. As a flatlander it seemed that the uphill running would never end. The first mountain is a series of switchbacks with a technical rocky road. Once you finally make it up to the forest at 10k ft you run loops on softer ground but the course rarely flattens out completely. You are ultimately rewarded with the downhill switchbacks that brought you up the mountain. This can be a fast section if you are adept at traversing the rocks but it can be treacherous. At mile 20 you start the second climb up the ski slope which is laughably steep. From the ground it doesn’t look too bad, but the hill keeps going up and up and up to the highest point possible. After reaching the peak it’s about 4+ miles down soft switchbacks. (The course is over 27 miles) If you still have legs you can make some good time here, but for me it was just a nice fast walk jog, knowing that I would indeed finish the race if I didn’t let my heart rate get too high. Having noted the technical challenges I’ll say that the views make it all worth it. I forced myself to stop and take pictures several times since I wasn’t competitive on this race . Also met several special people on this race that made it very enjoyable and fulfilling. Final tip: take walking poles! I did not but a nice young lady let me have one of hers going up the ski slope. It was a game changer for me and I’m forever grateful for her generosity.