Estes Park Marathon & Half Marathon

If you’re interested in tackling the 13.1-mile course at the Estes Park Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, then you’ll need to be really ready for a high-elevation run — this race has the highest paved marathon route anywhere in the United States, with an average elevation of 7,785 feet above sea level. Recommended Race: Boulderthon in Boulder, CO Held in June every year around Father’s Day, the race also unfolds through some of Colorado’s most beautiful scenery, with lots of with wooded, tree-lined stretches, grassy open meadows and views of towering mountain peaks like nearby Longs Peak and Mount Meeker. All five races in this event finish at Estes Park High School’s public school facilities off Manford Avenue, and the half marathon course takes runners on what is basically the first half of the full marathon course. The point-to-point route follows CO Highway 7 and Fish Creek Road and on a loop around Lake Estes, which lies in the middle of town, in the shadow of the snow-capped mountain peaks nearby. With its 7-hour time limit (for the full marathon), the Estes Park Marathon & Half Marathon advertises itself as an event welcome to both beginners and experienced runners, and is open to walkers as well as runners. The course for both the half and the full is mostly flat or features a gentle, sloping downhill, with some gradual uphills. To ensure that they’re properly acclimated to the high elevation of the race, runners are encouraged to arrive in town two to three days ahead of the race, and to avoid alcohol and caffeine before the race. Both runners and spectators are encouraged to prepare for bright, sunny conditions during the race, which means you’ll need to bring plenty of sunscreen. Though the elevation and the course are challenging, the reward is likewise just as satisfying — beautiful scenery from the elk herds among wide-open fields to the Rocky Mountains off in the distance as you’re finishing the race back at the high school, just after running along the water’s edge around Lake Estes.