Steamboat Springs Marathon

Steamboat Springs Marathon

Point to point course starting at Hahn's Peak CO and running into Steamboat Springs. Net downhill overall, but the map is deceptive as there were probably more uphills. The downhills were just a bit more extreme.




Finish: 4:21:46, 125th overall, 47th woman, 9th Masters woman, 3rd AG.

This was an excellent small race on a very beautiful and somewhat challenging course. Temps were excellent with it being around 45F at the start and then warming up into the 70s (but with no humidity) with a brilliant sun. The sun was warm and since I knew the water stops were far apart (every 3 miles), I carried my own water and Gatorade which was the right thing to do. Also, since I live at 900 ft and not 8200 ft, I knew that staying hydrated and not overdoing it were very important. I also drove the course on Saturday and a few of the climbs were short, but steep and in order to keep an even effort, I planned to walk up those that were steep.

It was difficult to hold back at the beginning, but I did and I did indeed walk up the steep climb that was around 3 miles. I also held back as best as I could on that long 2+ mile downhill as I knew that there were many more to come. I stopped at every water stop to fill my bottles and I crossed the half way mat at 2:08:41. The next half was tougher as the sun was beating down on us and as I tired, I could feel the altitude a bit more than at the beginning. Since I was not real concerned with time, I walked to take in a gel, and I walked again at an aid station after I filled my bottles because they were giving out these frozen electrolyte sticks. They were like frozen Gatorade and it was very welcome. I walked up more of the steeper climbs in the second half, but I really didn't lose that much time. I caught three other women and we worked with each other from miles 20-23 and that helped a lot. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for me, they had run a bit harder in the first half than I did, and I lost them on the last downhill.

The last two miles were actually a gradual uphill into town. That deceptive kind of uphill that you would only notice because you are running up it after 24 miles in altitude and in the hot sun. It was tough, but I kept going. My only complaint in the last half mile was that suddenly the kids race merged into the marathon race and I had to actually stop for one kid and weave around a couple of others (I sent an email to the RD about changing this as it was nuts). I also had a women and kids almost run into me when they jumped off the sidewalk in front of me to hug the guy next to me and run him in. The competitive me was glad to beat him.

All in all, it was the best race that I had all season after Boston and Cleveland. I know that if I lived at altitude, I would definitely run this race again as I know that I could have easily broke 4 hrs.

Wow! That is an amazing elevation profile, Michele. It looks more like a ski jump than a marathon course.

And that hill at Mile 22-something would have to hurt something awful after all those miles flying downhill. Of course, your legs probably appreciated the change... Good job on the solid finish! I could see how, with some acclimatization, you could crack 4.

I bet the scenery was gorgeous.

And here I am at the finish

Great race Michele. I like the photo, those mountains behind look daunting ! I thought Boston was bad for feeling beat up due to downhill, that must have been tough. You have to be happy with that result. Good work, Rob

Great place for a race. Those short uphills look brutal. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

Wow, great job on a challenging course - you are getting it done!

Holy hill workout woman! You look great finishing my quads hurt a little for you looking at that chart,wouldn't a flat race feel like cake now?

What a great venue, ouch though! Nice finish, Michelle!

Great job once again. You definitely deserve the break in Italy.

You certainly don't look beat up at the finish and I can see some of the kids in the background!  Not a good place for them at all. Sheesh!
With elevations like that you really would need to be there a week or so early to acclimate, I would imagine.  I've heard good things about this race before and it sounds like a good one to do for a change of pace....literally.

Congratulations! I've heard that was a good marathon. I can't imagine running in the elevation but great work.

I went out on Friday and ran on Sunday. I didn't feel the altitude as much as I feared but I also went in with the attitude that I would take my time and have fun. The women u caught were all at the half 6-8 min before me

Good golly, Missy...look at those quads popping plumb out of your legs   One heck of a run!  Hey, congratulations on that AG place and doing well in Masters and Overall.

That is a scary-looking course for a flatlander - I've always wondered what running at elevation would feel like.  I adjusted fairly well when elk hunting at 10-12K feet a few years ago, but that was walking and not running.  Going from ~100' to 8,000 feet would be a huge change!

I love Steamboat, but I think I'll stick to skiing there. Really good run though, especially in the rarified air. I can imagine what the quads must have felt like.

For a second I thought it was Steamtown.  You did great for a that type of race and you look "sharp" at the finish line in orange!

Sorry to be getting to this so late Michele. Despite all that downhill running (or maybe because of it), this does not look like an easy course at all. Good job handling it so smartly. (You look good in that singlet!)

Very nice job, Michele! That's quite an elevation profile and you ran it well. I also didn't see this earlier for some reason.