I should probably start out by saying I HATE full marathons. I do a lot of half marathons. I'm pretty confident on those and can do them quicker than your average runner. But, full marathons hurt. That said, one day I want to qualify for Boston. So, even though I'm a long way from doing that, I wanted to train on a fast course to get that in one day. And a downhill marathon seemed good to accomplish that goal. I had no beliefs that I could do it this year. But, I figured it would give me some experience that way I could do it in a few years, potentially.

So, I suppose I'll start out with the expo. It was kind of lame. I didn't really get any freebies. And I don't think there were more than a dozen vendors. Also, I was given a cotton shirt and was told that was the upgrade. I don't recall asking for an upgraded shirt, but the "normal" shirt was a tech shirt with a real cool design. I asked if I could get the non-upgraded shirt, and they accommodated that. So, I'm happy for this. I just find it strange on what they consider an upgrade.

The race itself required you to wake up super early. Since this is a downhill race, they had everyone park at the bottom of the hill, load up in busses and be taken to the top of the hill. But, the busses ran from 3:30 - 4:15 am. Since the race didn't start until 6, that required everyone to be up on the top of the hill freezing for an hour or more. I did another race like this in the past (Utah Valley) that had fire pits set up to help out. It would've been nice if they had something for that. The other problem with the top of the mountain were the bathroom lines. They could've spread them out differently. They had them lined up side to side in a long row (which is typical). But, there wasn't a lot of room for a waiting line. After about 6 people in line, it would cause you to fall off the back end of a cliff.

The race itself was fantastic! It took place in the Rocky Mountains and there was beauty to be seen everywhere. The elevation seemed to mess with a lot of runners, especially at the beginning which started over 10,000 ft. above sea level! And the decline was a struggle for many people, complaining about knee pain and sore quads. I had been training at a decline so that helped me a lot.

On a personal note, I did great! I got my first sub-4 hour marathon. That was a PR for me, and who doesn't love getting a PR?!??! I will say that I thought we went a different direction, and I trained for one big incline around mile 12. I was surprised on the course when we took a different route and had several inclines to do. None were that big or long. But, I wasn't prepared for them, and they took a lot out of me since I had primarily been training downhill. The aid stations were great too. They had water and Gatorade at all stations. And they even had flavored Goo at several stops. I don't think I saw a stretch beyond 3 miles that didn't have port-o-potties. So, everything that you needed was avail! Did I mention how gorgeous it was?!!?

The after event was above par as well. They let everyone have a free slice of pizza and cherry pie. They, of course, had your typical bananas too. I think I also saw a yogurt vendor handing out samples and the Muscle Milk truck was there to help replenish much needed protein. There was a beer garden where everyone got a free cold one. Free massages were avail (though the waiting list was very long). And they had a fun set up where you could take pictures of your friends holding up "PR" and "BQ" signs. Everyone seemed to have a good time. And, the finish medals were awesome! Big bling that was textured and raised. This is definitely one of my favorite medals I got anywhere!

Then comes my next big complaint: the parking situation. The end of this event was not near where we had parked our cars that morning. We had to take a bus to get there. But, do you think the bus stop was near the finish line? NO! We had to walk what seemed like a mile to get to the shuttles. And after running 26.2, walking a mile isn't exactly easy for us runners. I wish the parking could've been set up better logistically.

I know I made a lot of complaints. But, in the end, it was much better that I made it out to be. I enjoyed this race. I am happy with my PR. I highly recommend it to anyone trying to get into Boston. Just train for downhill running and elevation. And be prepared to be sore the next several days!