Save $10 w/code VRRAVES26 *** This is a challenging but scenic run just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. It starts and ends by the lake at the fairgrounds in historic Estes Park, Colorado, which means it has some killer mountain views! In the Estes Valley, everything seems to brighten at once …
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Save $10 w/code VRRAVES26
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This is a challenging but scenic run just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. It starts and ends by the lake at the fairgrounds in historic Estes Park, Colorado, which means it has some killer mountain views!
In the Estes Valley, everything seems to brighten at once — sunlit meadows, sharpening ridgelines, and the peaks of the Continental Divide rising into clear focus. Deep greens, bold blue sky, and gray summits create a scene that feels dramatic yet grounding.
Each gentle rise reveals a new angle, open stretches frame the mountains differently, and the crisp mountain air settles into your lungs. It’s the kind of landscape that makes the run feel instinctively right, like this valley was built to be experienced in motion.
The half marathon starts near Community Drive and Highway 36, heading counter-clockwise around Lake Estes before a short out-and-back on Mall Rd. Runners then cross under Big Thompson Ave and climb steadily up Dry Gulch for about 3 miles. From there, Devil’s Gulch brings rolling, mostly downhill terrain, followed by a flat stretch on MacGregor Ave and a winding section through Wonderview and Steamer Pkwy. The course then returns to Big Thompson, crosses back through the tunnel, and finishes with a final loop around Lake Estes.
The 5K course runs on a counterclockwise direction around the perimeter of lake Estes. While the race begins with a quick, aggressive climb over the first 1.5 miles followed by a downhill path taking runners to about the .75 mark, the course is relatively flat the rest of the way with a slight incline around the 2 mile mark.
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Rocky Mountain High
The hardest part of this race was the altitude. The second hardest is starting the run with a hill. The scenery wasn't as good as many Vacation Races, basically running … MORE
The hardest part of this race was the altitude. The second hardest is starting the run with a hill. The scenery wasn’t as good as many Vacation Races, basically running the outskirts of neighborhoods. With that said as always VR had great aid stations and an awesome finish line production/welcome. Also love there packet pickup and vendors.
Beautiful Views and Downhill 2nd Half
I love all VR produced races. They are well run with great swag in great locations. Rocky Mountain was no exception. Great snack boxes and volunteers. The half marathon is … MORE
I love all VR produced races. They are well run with great swag in great locations. Rocky Mountain was no exception. Great snack boxes and volunteers. The half marathon is mostly downhill after the 5.5 mile mark which is really welcome. Mile 1.5 to 5.5 is a gradual consistent uphill. But after you hit that 5.5 mile mark, the road turns downhill and the views are grand. Great course.
Gorgeous, challenging and encouraging
The participants, volunteers, and production team made this the best half marathon I’ve done alongside the beautiful views and wonderful weather! This was my first half in 7 years since … MORE
The participants, volunteers, and production team made this the best half marathon I’ve done alongside the beautiful views and wonderful weather! This was my first half in 7 years since having my kiddos and I can’t wait to do more Vacation Races!
Amazing Views
Views are incredible but altitude can definitely impact performance. Run for the views and medals, but not a PR. Add in the 5K for the Elk Double. MORE
Views are incredible but altitude can definitely impact performance. Run for the views and medals, but not a PR. Add in the 5K for the Elk Double.
Beautiful Challenge
Elevation hurts so good. I’m from Denver, so I could breathe just fine. The hills were gradual and a beast at times. I loved this challenge. MORE
Elevation hurts so good. I’m from Denver, so I could breathe just fine. The hills were gradual and a beast at times. I loved this challenge.
Rockies Rules!
I highly recommend this race. Vacation Races always deliver top notch events! We spent 3 days in the National Park, absolutely beautiful! The mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and wildlife were all … MORE
I highly recommend this race. Vacation Races always deliver top notch events!
We spent 3 days in the National Park, absolutely beautiful! The mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and wildlife were all amazing to see.
Expo was great and s’mores station was a nice touch
Pre races communication was sufficient
I raced the Elk Double which was a 5K on Friday night and a half marathon on Saturday, you get an extra medal and swag item for doing both races
Swag was awesome dri-fit shirt and very nice heavy medals.
Scenery on course was so beautiful
Race production was smooth with top notch staff and volunteers
Group of Elk passed by the area pre race which was pretty cool
Post race snacks are always great
Vacation races are awesome and highly recommend this race
Would Recommend
Beautiful course, and well organized. Challenging but not overwhelming. No issues with elevation (although I made sure to arrive a few days ahead of time) and the hills were gradual, … MORE
Beautiful course, and well organized. Challenging but not overwhelming. No issues with elevation (although I made sure to arrive a few days ahead of time) and the hills were gradual, which made it less painful. The course is on some main roads, and at times the cars/motorcycles drove a little too close to runners. That’s not the race organizers’ fault, but it may be something to consider course-wise.
Beautiful Race!
I have done, and really enjoyed, several Vacation Races, Rocky Mountain Elk Double was no exception! The uphill was gradual, and very walk and runnable for all different levels. The … MORE
I have done, and really enjoyed, several Vacation Races, Rocky Mountain Elk Double was no exception! The uphill was gradual, and very walk and runnable for all different levels. The race takes place outside park boundaries and has beautiful scenery, starting and finishing at Lake Estes park. The only downside I saw was a bit of a walk to the start and from the finish to the parking area, but looking at the positive, was a great way to warm up and cool down! The weather was perfect this year, snacks and swag was also great! Another great Vacation Race!
A great challenge
This was one of my top three most difficult half marathons. I truly believed that living in Denver would spare me difficulties with elevation- NOPE! The race, however, was so … MORE
This was one of my top three most difficult half marathons. I truly believed that living in Denver would spare me difficulties with elevation- NOPE! The race, however, was so gorgeous and perfectly run it was worth it. I was worried that Vacation Races would be like Rock and Roll race series (a poorly run money grab) but I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely run with VR again and strongly recommend them!
The view from the back of the pack
What a 1st class event! The production, the volunteers, the course, everything was awesome. I've come to expect that from VR events. This year I was able to volunteer for … MORE
What a 1st class event! The production, the volunteers, the course, everything was awesome. I’ve come to expect that from VR events. This year I was able to volunteer for the base camp setup. Got to know some of the VR personnel and the pride they take in their obligations.
The morning event went off without a hitch. On time. Parking was a breeze. Communication was solid. On course support was perfect. I’m looking forward to Joshua Tree in November knowing that it will be a 1st class event also.
Run this for the beauty of the mountains
Beautiful course, stunning scenery. Yet another great production by vacation races. Really well managed and great swag as always. There is a gradual uphill for the first 5 ish miles … MORE
Beautiful course, stunning scenery. Yet another great production by vacation races. Really well managed and great swag as always.
There is a gradual uphill for the first 5 ish miles but then it’s a steady down hill. Plenty of aid stations but make sure you hydrate well.
I mucked up my hydration which meant I had a very crampy race and therefore a below par performance. All my fault.
Would definitely do this race again.
Breathtaking
I love Vacation Races so this was the obvious choice for my Colorado Half Marathon. This is one of the more convenient Vacation Races to get to. The races is … MORE
I love Vacation Races so this was the obvious choice for my Colorado Half Marathon. This is one of the more convenient Vacation Races to get to. The races is located in Estes Park next to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Denver so it’s relatively easy to get to. For the race I flew into Denver Thursday morning and drove to Estes Park and spent Thursday and Friday exploring the national park. Of note you do need to make reservations to RMNP and they fill up quickly so make sure you mark when the reservations open and get them right away. If you do not have them you can still enter the park either before 6am or after 2pm and there are beautiful areas to explore outside the park. For this race I stayed at the Estes Lake Lodge. I would highly recommend staying here as it is the closest lodging to the race. It was a bit of a quirky place to stay but it made race morning so easy as it is closer to the race start than the race parking lots. There is a useful race guide that has all the info you need for the race. Packet pick-up is the day before. It is at a local school’s baseball stadium across from the start. I did drive to packet pick-up since I was driving around anyways. Vacation Race’s expos are generally on the smaller side but run smoothly and they have nice additional merch to purchase. Packet included bib, race shirt and reusable hydroflask cup. The shirt is tech and a really pretty blue color. It is nice quality and a nice design. Race morning you are instructed to park at 5:15 and then the pre race staging area is over near the baseball field across the road from the start. The pre-race water, coffee, cocoa are all there. The announcer and anthem is also there. The runners line up there and then walk under a tunnel to the start. However I stayed within walking distance from the start I just walked directly to the start line since it was closer than the staging area. I did miss out on some of the pre-race excitement but got a private area to warm up on and there were porta potties there with zero lines. If you want to walk from the hotel and join the pre-race staging area you could go under the tunnel. The race had runners line up in waves based on predicted times. I just lined up in the front of the last wave. I knew this would be slow given the altitude and my lungs are still not 100% and I aimed for a finishing time under 3:30. The start of the race is about 1 mile of a public bike trail around Estes Lake. This is quite scenic. there is a small hill at the start but this is relatively flat. Then there is about a 4 mile climb onto some remote and beautiful roads. The incline is very gradual but it is deceptive. If you have a goal time definitely strategize because you don’t want to waste all your energy on this part. I knew my best strategy for my current fitness level and goal was to speed walk the uphill and save energy for the downhill. A lot of people passed me here pushing themselves too hard and then had to walk the easier parts of the course and I eventually passed them. Unless you have done hill training at altitude I would recommend slowing your pace a bit down on the uphill. There are beautiful views of mountains and rock formations and lots of horses on this section so it’s nice to take it slow. When you finally get to the top then there is a really nice gradually almost all downhill until about mile 9.5. I was able to pick up the pace and make up for the time I lost on the uphill. Most of this is also quite beautiful but around mile 9 you go back into town and it isn’t quite as majestic. There is a very annoying hill at around mile 9.5. it is much short and maybe 1/2 mile but it is on black pavement and not shaded. It was pretty beautiful weather for the race but got a bit hot by the end. This was the least pleasant part of the course. Then it is downhill until around mile 11.5 where you finish around the bike path on the lake and it is mostly flat. Race was very well produced and well marked. There were lots of aid stations. All had water and gnarly electrolytes and honey stinger gel and a few had fruit. These are cupless races. I generally carry a water bottle and use the hydroflask for electrolytes. Of note with the altitude you will likely need more water than usual so I was glad I was carrying a handheld water bottle. One negative about the course is it is not on closed roads. On the roads closer to town we had to run on the sidewalk. I don’t really like running on the sidewalk during races. However these were wide and smooth sidewalks and not bad to run on. Most of the time we were on the road it was very quiet and there was little traffic and there were signs that the race was happening. There was one section that was a little busier that made me a little nervous. There were lots of course marshals though and any road crossing had someone to control traffic. Another thing I didn’t love is there were limited spectators due to the logistics of the race but there are a lot of participants even in the back and lots of volunteers so it’s not too bad. The finish line is close to the start. They call your name as you cross and a fun fact if you put one down. I was very happy with my finish time for how I was feeling. It was not fast but I was a few minutes under my goal of 3:30 which I though was good with the altitude and my lungs. At the end you get your medal. Vacation Races have the best medals. They are always big and beautiful. They also give our snack boxes, bananas and chocolate milk. I was excited the chocolate milk was “bored cow” an animal free, lactose free product. However it turns out it’s not about animal cruelty or lactose intolerance, I just don’t like chocolate milk so I didn’t drink much of it. There is also a separate booth to get the elk double medal if you also did the 5K like I did. Overall this is a beautiful course. It is challenging but doable and any course in Colorado is going to be difficult with the altitude. Just make sure you strategize the long uphill stretch in the beginning if you have a goal time in mind. I would definitely recommend this race for Colorado especially if you love the outdoors and beautiful scenery.
Was a Tough One for me
It was pretty chilly that early in the morning. There isn’t any crowd support along the way, since spectators aren’t allowed on the course, which I missed from my races … MORE
It was pretty chilly that early in the morning. There isn’t any crowd support along the way, since spectators aren’t allowed on the course, which I missed from my races in Nebraska. I loved all the different gear you can buy, although it was pretty expensive.
The course was pretty tough for me, the first 3 miles were a killer, felt hard to breathe, it’s had to train in Nebraska for the elevation here. Still was a great race, and the medals are awesome.
Scenic 5K Around Lake in Estes Park
I love all VR produced races. They are well run with great swag in great locations. Rocky Mountain was no exception. Great snack boxes and volunteers. The 5K kickoff to … MORE
I love all VR produced races. They are well run with great swag in great locations. Rocky Mountain was no exception. Great snack boxes and volunteers. The 5K kickoff to the weekend around the lake is scenic and relatively flat after a good uphill start.
Challenging and scenic
I flew in from CA to first volunteer at the event. I met up with some of my family and did this event with my brother. This was my 8th … MORE
I flew in from CA to first volunteer at the event. I met up with some of my family and did this event with my brother. This was my 8th half and my 2nd National Park course. I felt great on mile one. I had read about the inclines and it kicked my behind to mile 5 but it’s very scenic and pretty. Course was smooth and stations were set up nicely. At the volunteer shift I help unload the trucks and unbox the race shirts. Overall I am happy to have been a part of this event as a volunteer and runner. Be prepared and train a good 6 mos. I trained only 3 mos but I think with the extra 3 more mos I would have finished a bit better with time. Still happy with my run and everyone on the course helping. Don’t hesitate putting this on your bucket list!
Vacation Races, a cut above!
Awesome Staff and Volunteers Expo was great and the s’mores station was awesome! Course was a paved trail, it was uphill at start but a good course with great views … MORE
Awesome Staff and Volunteers
Expo was great and the s’mores station was awesome!
Course was a paved trail, it was uphill at start but a good course with great views of Estes Park lake
Swag was awesome, VR medals are the best!
Post race snacks were very good
Best race with great views
Awesome race, great views and weather. Top 3 marathon I would say!!! Must try!!! Very friendly staff great pictures. The weather was awesome and very clean race MORE
Awesome race, great views and weather. Top 3 marathon I would say!!! Must try!!! Very friendly staff great pictures. The weather was awesome and very clean race
Great views and a challenging course!
Amazing aid stations and super clean restrooms! They also had plenty of restrooms in the festival area! The course was clearly marked and difficult but never felt like I couldn’t … MORE
Amazing aid stations and super clean restrooms! They also had plenty of restrooms in the festival area! The course was clearly marked and difficult but never felt like I couldn’t finish. The four hour time cap was perfect!
Amazing course and fabulous 1st half!
The course scenery was absolutely beautiful - the miles flew by because I was so distracted by the Rockies! The operations of the race were great and I didn’t have … MORE
The course scenery was absolutely beautiful – the miles flew by because I was so distracted by the Rockies! The operations of the race were great and I didn’t have any difficulties. I love the medal, shirt, snacks, and swag we were given, plus the aide offered at various stations along the course. It was an amazing first half marathon experience and made me want to do many more!
Uphill from the starting blocks
Beautiful venue around Lake Estes but the first part was straight uphill. After that it was pretty flat. Great course. Beautiful views with the sun going down. MORE
Beautiful venue around Lake Estes but the first part was straight uphill. After that it was pretty flat. Great course. Beautiful views with the sun going down.