2008 Denver Marathon

October 20, 2008 · Filed Under Colorado Running, Race Reviews · 3 Comments 

Happy Monday and congratulations to everyone who dragged themselves out of bed and ran the Denver Marathon yesterday! It was a beautiful day to run a great race. However… there were a few things I found irksome.

The first was the whole packet pickup nonsense. Once again, it was held downtown which (hello! duh!) is nearing New York in its ridiculous (lack of) parking situation. It was a pain in the ass only to be alleviated by the employees at the Convention Center riding around on Segway scooters, which was quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve seen. Ever. But, fine. Whatever. It was nothing compared to the complete clusterf-… complete circus that was the start of the Denver Marathon. The line to the port-a-potties was absurd! Who would have thought that 3000 people would all have to pee at the same time? Well, not the folks organizing the race. I would think that such an experienced race director would kind of have that figured out but… obviously not. I sure wasn’t about to wait in that line so i went ahead and cut in front of everyone. Sorry! But like the great thinker Mos Def said “While y’all was askin’ permission, I just stepped up and took it.” Word. But even if you made it to the bathroom in time, it didn’t exactly matter ’cause you couldn’t get to the start line - yeah, it was barricaded! I had to climb over a railing! I could have been injured! Jerks! And! When I was done with the race, they didn’t have the bananas out yet. Don’t you think i might have wanted a banana?! Yeah, I wanted a banana.

That being said…

This is a must do race. The energy at the start line is awesome and i love the crowd here - the runners, the spectators… Everyone is so excited to be there. The course is perfectly designed. It’s flat for the first 4 miles so you have plenty of time to warm your legs up (since you didn’t have time before - remember? you were in line for the bathroom) and settle into your pace without worrying about hills. City Park is gorgeous this time of year and really helps take your mind off the fact that the section that leads into and around Cheeseman Park will make you seriously question your abilities as a runner. It isn’t that steep, but, as many a runner in the Denver-Metro area knows, this 2 mile stretch owns you. But, when you get through it, you’re a better person and you’ve probably gotten rid of some weaker runners who were latching onto you to keep a good pace (bonus!). If you’re running the half, you have just over two miles to go and it’s on a slight decline so you have a nice strong finish. I haven’t run the whole thing but I can only imagine spectacular views at Wash Park (indeed, a quintessential place to run if you haven’t yet) and a great run down Santa Fe. The Denver Marathon draws a huge crowd, fast runners, and will put you in your place (OMG crushed egos everywhere!) among fellow Coloradans. Given that this is only it’s third year with sponsor monster ING behind it, the race can only stand to get bigger and better and it will continue to be a personal challenge of mine.

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Denver Marathon is here! (plus a minor rant)

October 16, 2008 · Filed Under Colorado Running · 5 Comments 

This weekend is the Denver Marathon.  Good luck to all racers!  Can you feel the Racing Colorado karma coming through?  Those of you who are having flashbacks to miserable conditions of the past can relax.  The weather should be beautiful!

I want to ask your indulgence in a little editorial/rant directed to those of you running the Half Marathon this weekend:  It seems that every time I’m at a marathon/half marathon event, I meet people who are excited about the run, and then tell me sheepishly, “I’m just running the half”.  JUST the half marathon?  You’re no rabbit, and you’re not quitting halfway through the race.  You’re competing in a full race!  You’ve trained hard for this race of 13+ miles.  Just because there happens to be a longer event at the same venue, don’t diminish your own efforts and accomplishments.  You don’t hear sprinters talk about racing “just the 100 meters” or “just the 200″.  You chose to train and contest the half marathon distance.

Admittedly, part of the problem is the name of the event itself.  “Half” anything logically implies incompletion, and that there’s more.  Like, “I ate half a doughnut” or “I’ll meet you half-way”.  But you didn’t train with half-effort.  You weren’t expected to pay half the entry fee.  You don’t wear just one shoe, and you’re certainly not expected to run at half speed.  The half marathon is not in the same category as the ever popular commercial phrase, “half the calories”.  There’s nothing “half” about his race other than the name itself.  Even if your goal is to finish, you’re running all the way to the finish line of a Full race that happens to carry the unfortunate word, “half” in the title.

Now say it proudly, and good luck in your race that’s 100% YOU!

Props to these Colorado half marathons that spotlight the distance and that are held independently from full marathons.  I’m probably missing a couple good ones, but here’s  a few to keep in mind:

Rock Canyon
Georgetown to Idaho Springs
Turquoise Lake
Heart Center of the Rockies
Horsetooth
Animas Valley
Slacker
Arby’s Rocky Mountain
Run the Rockies
Kendall Mountain Run
Teva Vail
Mountain Madness
Basalt
US Copper Mtn
Vasque Golden Leaf
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