Steamboat Marathon Half Marathon & 10K

Named years ago as one of Runner’s World magazine’s top 10 destination marathons in North America and by Colorado Runner magazine as the state’s best marathon in 2006, the Steamboat Springs Marathon & Half Marathon takes runners on a tour of this gorgeous mountain town, through the Hahns Peak Village and Elk River Valley. Recommended Race: Boulderthon in Boulder, CO The course takes runners along paved surfaces and country roads, and features an elevation drop from 8,128 feet above sea level at the start at Hahns Peak to 6,728 feet at the finish at the courthouse downtown. The half marathon begins at the half-way point of the full marathon course, at a location known locally as Moon Hill, and takes runners all the way southward through the Elk River Valley above Steamboat Springs, along paved country roads. While overall the course has a net downhill elevation change, as runners trek through the valley they’ll encounter a number of rolling hills, as well as the course’s biggest hill between mile markers 8 and 9. And though crowds are nonexistent in the portions of the course that run through the river valley, runners get a chance to see some of the local wildlife along the way, runners should catch plenty of local wildlife along the way, as well as horses in the pastures along the route. Like the full marathon, the half finishes at the full-marathon finish line. All three races in the event feature starting times of 7:30 AM, and the 10K is open to walkers as well as runners. All three race courses close at 1:00 PM, organizers note.