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Colorado > La Sportiva Vail Half Marathon
Vail,
CO
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Date
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Event
Details
Take a summertime run through Colorado's Vail Ski Resort at the La
Sportiva Vail Half Marathon, which welcomes just under 200 runners each
year for a trail half-marathon along the popular paths along both the
front side and the back bowls area of Vail Mountain. And though it may
sound odd at first, this half marathon is longer than most -- rather
than 13.1 miles along the trails among the mountains, it's actually a
14.5-mile run filled with rolling hills, some scrambling downhills, and
roughly 4,000 feet in elevation change over the course of the race.
As a point-to-point race among the mountain ridges overlooking the
stretch of Interstate 70 near Vail, the race almost resembles a closed
loop race -- the start and the finish lines are actually not that far
apart. The starting line lies in the Vail Village, just behind the Gold
Peak Children's Center, and runners follow the trail from there along
the winding Mill Creek Road, which follows a number of twists and turns
on its way uphill into the mountains above the village.
The natural-surface trail -- which features plenty of dirt, rocks and
tree roots as well as wide-open grassy areas -- takes runners past a
number of the Vail ski slopes on its eastward
path along the front side of the mountains. Runners follow this part of
the trail along the front side for roughly eight miles, and reach the
turn that takes them along part of the Vail Mountain area's Elk
Connector Trail just as they're passing the third aid station, before
the 9-mile marker.
Once around the turn, runners head into the back bowls area of Vail,
which skiing enthusiasts and frequent visitors to the area will know
well, including China Bowl, Sunup Bowl and Sundown Bowl. Along the way,
runners will encounter some short scrambles downhill (particularly
between miles 10 and 11), and will need to exercise caution on the
downhills. The course then takes runners up over Vail Mountain,
reaching an elevation of more than 11,220 feet above sea level.
From there, it's downhill toward the finish line at Eagles Nest, which
lies
at an elevation of just over 10,000 feet. Needless to say, runners need
to be ready for a high-elevation race at the Vail Half Marathon, and
race organizers recommend arriving at least a full day in advance of
the race to give your body time to acclimate to the elevation. This
race is one tough half marathon, readers should know (one blogger
called it "the hardest half-marathon around"), so make sure you're
fully prepared for an up-and-down, high-elevation race with lots of
uneven terrain and a fair amount of scrambling along the trail.
Race
Weather & Climate
Nestled high among the ski resort towns in the Colorado Rocky Mountains
west of Denver, about 100 miles from that city's downtown area, the
town of Vail typically sees mild to moderately cool weather conditions,
with wetter weather in July on average than the rest of the summer. In
July, average monthly temperatures range between 75°F and
40°F, while rainfall totals average around 2.24 inches for the
month. Also keep in mind that temperatures at the top of Vail Mountain
tend to be ten degrees cooler Fahrenheit than in Vail Village.
Fees
$25 if pre-registered before race day
$35 on the day of the race
Registration
To reserve your spot in the summer 2009 running of
Colorado's Vail Half Marathon, register online at Vail Recreation District
online or print out and mail in this downloadable entry form.
Website
www.vailrec.com
Course Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Vail's annual La Sportiva Vail Half Marathon?
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your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Discuss it in the HalfMarathons.Net
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