Scot Davis's Staging Area

I wanted to be excited about this race, but the course was awful. The first several miles were fine. Once we began running along the highway, not so much. We were instructed to stay on the shoulder of the highway, which was cambered. If we were caught running on the road itself, which was level, we would be DQ’d. I understand that logic for safety purposes. The cambered road completely wrecked me. I ran 80 marathons last year and this is the only one that did that. My right leg was higher than my left for 21 miles and I hurt during the entire race. Additionally, we had to deal with car exhaust and roadkill. The course absolutely sucked and I would highly recommend finding another race in Hawaii. Additionally, the swag was lacking. Not a big deal to me, but I know it is for some. We received a crappy orange t-shirt and the medal consisted of a tiny piece of metal on a string. I rarely write reviews, but I wanted to share my experience to save others from making the mistake of doing this race. Don’t be fooled by the course being net downhill!

race production was great – well supported and organized. Packet pick up was easy and the expo had a large number of vendors. Course was flat and fast with nice crowds. Really enjoyed this one and PR’d.

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.