http://www.ftcollinsmarathon.com/ Carolyn and Mtnchk mentioned this one and I thought YES! Greta idea and one that deserves it's own thread. OK, if you looked at that (their endorsement and the website) and are still unconvinced, what else do you need to know? I've run this one 2x and will prolly do it again this May--May 3rd.It runs down (literally, about the 1st 16 miles are downhill) the Poudre River Valley; scenic? You bet. In addition, there's a half, a 10K and a 5K. Ft. Collins is a college town, so there's various things going on, and a variety of inexpensive interesting places to eat. It's about 5 hours from me, maybe an hour north of Denver. The races are capped, so don't wait until the last minute. Anyone else ready to commit? grins, A

Well, I'm a maybe for the half marathon. The reason I didn't do it this year is the entry fee and needing to stay overnight. The half is $65 (the full is $95), and the race starts at 6 am, requiring driving up the day before and getting a hotel room. I live about a 2-hr drive from Ft. Collins. I ran two other half marathons in June (Run the Rockies and Slacker) which were both cheaper and close enough to drive in the am. But... if other RA'ers are doing Ft Collins, I'd consider it. It wouldn't be more than a few hundred bucks out of pocket. If anyone from out of town was flying in to Denver, I could possibly offer an airport pickup and drive to Ft. Collins. But for out-of-towners, do be aware of the high altitude of this race. It starts over 6000 ft. (which is low altitude for me. )

I ran the half on this one last year & thoroughly enjoyed it!....It was beautiful! Winding down Poudre Canyon into Old Town Ft Collins...point to point...gentle fast downhill...one notable "hill" @ about mile 19(?)...everyone rode in comfy big buses to the start lines - they had bagels & stuff @ the bus loading...lge groups of porta potties (which also served as makeshift warming huts!) & a UPS truck for bag check @ the start....perfect Co Spring weather, clear, cool (32* @ start, warming to low-mid 60's), crowd support where there could be...aid stations were btwn 2-3 miles apart & well stocked (some areas would be difficult to set up tables)...cutesy hand made road signs all along the course w/jokes & inspirational quotes...including a series of "Star Wars" type things "There is no Tri! Do or Do Not!" & Princess Leia handing out water & the next station ...the host hotel was the Hilton - which is kinda one-stop-shop if you will - pick up race pkt -included a very nice Brooks tech T. Not much of an Expo. Host hotel had a pasta dinner option & breakfast thingy ...& bused people from there to the start... Handmade ceramic finishers medals for the marathoners -( I hear that both half & full finishers get them this year) - & water color print of Poudre Canyon, food stuff & a beer tent! 'Course the finish IS near a coupla brewerys.... & finishing stats were posted pretty quickly - both printed & put up on the "wall" as well as online as soon as I was able to check......downside, a bit pricey, small expo, areas w/o crowd (if that's important to you)...& some sea level folks (who just arrived the night before) were having issues w/the elevation - which could be eased by arriving an additional day or two prior...& maybe not indulging in quite so much Starbucks & beer...

I seriously considered this one for this year - it's held basically the same time as Eugene. Bill

Yup, in 2009 it'll be the same day as Eugene. And for us PNW types, also the same day as Tacoma and Vancouver. And Avenue of Giants. Same day as The Pig too, alas. And a few others.