Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Half Marathon
Denver, CO
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
EVENT CANCELED FOR 2020 and 2021. *** 5,280 ft high, 13.1 forward. This urban race nestled in the Rocky Mountains is a MUST DO in 2020. Got oxygen? The Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Half Marathon weekend will take your breath away with live music, scenic views, and a two-day Health … MORE
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nice city run through
Nice course through Denver and great live music throughout the course. The hills were not too bad and that's coming from a Florida girl. I did the challenge to get … MORE
Nice course through Denver and great live music throughout the course. The hills were not too bad and that’s coming from a Florida girl. I did the challenge to get the remix medal which was super cool mini guitar. Medals were great and very Denver appropriately themed.
Ups & Downs and Outs & Backs
The race started & ended in City Civic Park and it was quite and brisk & windy day. There were sections that had out & backs and there were some … MORE
The race started & ended in City Civic Park and it was quite and brisk & windy day. There were sections that had out & backs and there were some hills, but the race had plenty of downhills too. I stayed downtown just a few blocks away and would recommend this race.
Cold and Altitude and Wind, Oh My!
I was mentally prepared for a tough run due to the altitude. And as a Californian, I knew running in 40-degree weather would be an added challenge. But then the … MORE
I was mentally prepared for a tough run due to the altitude. And as a Californian, I knew running in 40-degree weather would be an added challenge. But then the 20+ mph winds showed up – yikes!
It was a brutal start with the typical RocknRoll Race delayed release for each corral. Standing still in the bitter, stinging cold for 20+ minutes while waiting to begin running was a cruel wake-up call. I wish that either the corrals were bigger so we had room to jiggle and move for warmth or that the race production staff handed out those thermal sheets while we waited.
The race itself was a beautiful, flat course, providing an overview of some of the best parts of Denver. At different points, we had views of the mountains in the background (always breathtaking). The entertainers did their best to keep the energy pumping, despite the blustery conditions. (I’m still not sure how the stilt walkers stayed upright). I just wish the winds had allowed me to enjoy the course more. The buildings alternated between blocking the worst of the wind or funneling them into stronger debris-filled gusts.
The race production staff made the best of the conditions. I felt bad for the volunteers trying to hand out cups of water in the face of the weather. There were plenty of porta-potties on the route and the much-needed thermal sheets were available at the finish line. My suggestion for next year – hot chocolate instead of cold beer at that finish line!
Two Thumbs Up
Beautiful race and course. The Rock n Roll race series has always been top notch. Great volunteers and finish area. The swag is always sweet and I actually did the … MORE
Beautiful race and course. The Rock n Roll race series has always been top notch. Great volunteers and finish area. The swag is always sweet and I actually did the remix challenge this time, completing the 5K on Saturday.
Great Race, very windy and cold in 2019
I really enjoyed the portions of this race that could actually be controlled by the organizers. I flew in from Seattle late Friday night and stayed with some friends in … MORE
I really enjoyed the portions of this race that could actually be controlled by the organizers. I flew in from Seattle late Friday night and stayed with some friends in the area. I attended the EXPO on Saturday during the late morning. This was my 10th state that I have run at least a half marathon in, and my 8th time doing a Rock & Roll Race. As always with a R&R race the management is top notch which is why you pay a little more for these races. I arrived at the race my normal 1 hour and 15 minutes before the start and other than the workers setting up the event, it was deserted. Likely due to the 40 degree temperature and the 20mph winds. I personally took refuge in a Port-o-Potty for 30 minutes just to stay warm.
EXPO/Packet Pick Up: The location was really easy to access right off the interstate and there was only a tiny line of cars trying to park. I had a friend drop me off while I did the expo for 30 minutes, he left so he didn’t have to pay to park. Packet pickup and shirt pickup took mere minutes and I was on to the expo (One minor complaint that I didn’t notice until race morning was that there were no safety pins in the pick up bag, i certainly might have missed them if they were in a supply box but I feel as though just having the 4 in the bag when you get your bib should just be standard). R&R expos always start with the R&R gear shop and they had some nice printed banners with all of the runners names on them. I made use of the free Brooks Gait analysis that they had set up. I always run in brooks shoes but this allowed me to confirm that I am using the correct Brooks shoes (Adrenaline). After you leave the R&R area you get to the vendor portion of the expo which was quite extensive, lots of people were trying things out and it seemed well attended.
Parking/Access: The race started and finished right next to the state capitol building. I would think that traffic could have gotten congested later but it seemed like everybody was on time. I was there so early that getting dropped off at the designated area was a non issue. When my friend came to pick me up at the end of the race he was still able to find pay parking 2 blocks from the start so I would think that nobody had an issue in that regard.
T-Shirts/SWAG: The shirt was a black long sleeve shirt(see picture), it was really nice soft running material and had the race logo on it. I did kind of like how the back of the shirt was blank instead of covered with the logos of tons of sponsors. The race medal like all R&R medals are really high quality and featured local Colorado things like the evil blue horse near the airport and the state flower. A nice improvement from the last 2 R&R’s that I did in 2017 was that the medal ribbons were really high quality and had things like the state flag ‘c’ and the city skyline rather than being an ad.
Aid Stations: The aid stations were well stocked and spaced every 1.5 to 2 miles they all had water and most also had sports drinks. There were even several aid stations from local community groups along the course. The aid station around 7 miles also had gel packets that were given out. I didn’t hear anything about things running out at any time during the race. My nitpicky complaints would be that one aid station just had cups on a table rather than people holding them up for runners and one of my cups had a leaf in it due to the high winds which I choked on. The race can’t really control these factors and being critical of volunteers is pretty hard to do without being a jerk so all in all they were just fine.
Course Scenery/Elevation Difficulty: The Course Scenery was quite varied and nice for a city race. We ran near or around the football and baseball stadiums during a very turn heavy first 5 miles. The last 8 miles were mostly an out and back to a large city park that we ran through for about 2 miles before heading back to the finish. I also liked running directly in from of the capitol building steps at the 13 mile mark. This is 20 feet from the medallion on the capitol steps that marks 1 mile above sea level which you should definitely take a picture at. I wavered between a 2 and a 3 in terms of difficulty and went with a 3 in the end for two reasons. First there were several bridges/overpasses which make things a little hard for brief moments but by itself i would only call that a 2 out of 5. The other part of the difficulty would be the elevation above sea level. I never really struggle with elevation during climb to the top of a mountain type hikes so it didn’t really affect me but I am sure that it affected several out of town people. I was 2 minutes slower than normal but I attribute that to the last 3 miles being straight into 20mph winds but the elevation could have affected me some.
Weather: The 40 degree temperature at the start nearing 45 when I finished with a beautiful sunny day would have made for some pretty decent to ideal running conditions. The wind however really made things much harder. Sustained 20mph with gusts of up to 28. During the first several miles you were protected by buildings but running into an intersection at times felt like somebody was pushing you hard from the side. The wind was at your back from mile 5-7 which helps times some but never as much as it hurts you when you run the final 3 miles straight into it. The locals told me the wind is never like this so it was probably just an unfortunate fluke.
Race Management: As always with R&R races this was very well run. Great EXPO, SWAG and organization. I really like the corral control that they exhibit keeping people with people who run the same pace. They had extremely friendly and helpful pacers running as fast as 1:30. Plentiful bathrooms as long as you didn’t just stop at the first one you came to and easy gear check in and pick up. I really enjoy the bands throughout the course which helps break up the race and keep your mind off of any discomfort. Special kudos to the bands playing in those cold windy temperatures, I’m sure that wasn’t easy. The finish corral really loaded you up with goodies. Water, Gatorade, Chocolate milk, Pringles chips, granola bars, crackers, and fruit. They also give you a foil blanket to help you stay warm. I was loaded up with so much stuff that my shorts were starting to fall down from the weight of it in my pockets and the rest in my full hands.
Overall I really enjoyed the race and would recommend it to people.
My first half marathon
Coming from TX I was nervous about running with the hills and altitude in Denver. This course was downtown where it is relatively flat so the hills were a non … MORE
Coming from TX I was nervous about running with the hills and altitude in Denver. This course was downtown where it is relatively flat so the hills were a non issue. I also trained in the TX humidity which I think helped me prepare for the altitude difference. It was a very enjoyable run and I would definitely do it again.
Great Beginner 10k
If you are looking to run your first 10k or looking for a 10k PR this is a good race for you. You run through downtown listening to some great … MORE
If you are looking to run your first 10k or looking for a 10k PR this is a good race for you. You run through downtown listening to some great bands and end near the capitol. Fun race.
Fun tour of Denver
Overall I enjoyed this race. The bands along the way were fun, the course well marked, and fun fans along the way. The tour through the city was enjoyable, going … MORE
Overall I enjoyed this race. The bands along the way were fun, the course well marked, and fun fans along the way. The tour through the city was enjoyable, going through the park was wonderful. Signed up for this as part of a family reunion and glad that I did, very enjoyable and well organized.
Not Great
The race started out O.K. on a bike trail, through a park and some farm land. The mountains were beautiful as the Rockies always are. The marathon stayed on the … MORE
The race started out O.K. on a bike trail, through a park and some farm land. The mountains were beautiful as the Rockies always are. The marathon stayed on the bike trail for at least 20 miles, which was a bit of a beating on the legs. Part of the course went behind an industrial area that was smelly and not so scenic. There were however coyotes howling from somewhere in the area, which added intregue. The advertised description was that it was along a river, which turned out to be a rather small, slow moving and very smelly excuse for a river. The course was not well marked in spots, and ran under bridges where the only spectators were homeless men. Some were friendly, some were not. It was awkward running through their front yards. Also, the water availability was not optimal. The race had to make last minute changes to the course due to Denver residents’ complaints about the affects on traffic flow through the original route. It turns out that this was the last ever Rock n Roll Denver full Marathon to be held.
Tough for a sea level girl
I really enjoyed this race. It was far from my best finish thanks to the altitude, but the course was very flat (not easy to come by in Colorado), and … MORE
I really enjoyed this race. It was far from my best finish thanks to the altitude, but the course was very flat (not easy to come by in Colorado), and very pretty. We ran by several landmarks in downtown Denver. It was a great way to see the city. Be sure to hydrate like crazy before you go (Denver is very dry), and take more fuel on the course than you think you’ll need. Entertainment along the course was fantastic.
"Middle of the road" half marathon
This is another RnR location that has since changed its course. When I did it in 2014, the course went over Interstate 25, around Mile High Stadium, and then back … MORE
This is another RnR location that has since changed its course. When I did it in 2014, the course went over Interstate 25, around Mile High Stadium, and then back around by Coors Field. Now they cut out the part over the toward Mile High & instead stretched it out to the Denver Zoo area. I think the new course looks more fun (and flatter).
Overall, it was not great and it was not terrible. It’s in middle of October, so for Denver, you risk having snow on the ground. In 2014, it was chilly in the morning, but an abnormally warm mid October.
The elevation does get you a bit, if you’re not ready for it, but don’t let that psych you out. It’s not like you won’t be able to breathe. You’ll just notice your pace is off by 15-20 seconds per mile.
Checked off Colorado with this one
Sea level runner who ran at altitude. Sucked wind but course was fun....nice to run through Denver. I did this a long time ago so I can't remember too many … MORE
Sea level runner who ran at altitude. Sucked wind but course was fun….nice to run through Denver. I did this a long time ago so I can’t remember too many specifics but the crowds were decent and seeing the mountains in the distance was neat.
Pushed to the limit
A medal I will place on my wall to remind me of such a great achievement. The day warmed up and the course was awesome. Volunteers were awesome. The specters … MORE
A medal I will place on my wall to remind me of such a great achievement. The day warmed up and the course was awesome. Volunteers were awesome. The specters were encouraging. The music made it fun. I will never forget the experience.