I have signed up for the Steamboat Springs Marathon ...June 1....... http://www.steamboatsummer.com/info/events/sbcccalendarevent.marathon_08.item.asp I will arrive a few days before.... It starts at about 8500 ft...down to about 6800 ft. I have NEVER run in altitude.... Any racing suggestions? How about anyone that has never trained in altitude...but raced there.....What was your experience?

twocat......if you get a chance take a look at the elevation chart.....it sure drops fast..... Thanks for the advice....

From what I have heard, you are better off getting there the night before. Unless you are there for atleast a week, it is tough to get fully acclimated to the elevation. What I was told is that you get there and run before you body has a chance to realize it's at altitude. Of course, I have never tried it...

You might try and ping CGerber in the main forum, he lives in Ft Collins and does lots of high altitude runs. I would be interested in his opinions also. Da Boat is one of my favorite places.

Tim: Last year, we ran Estes park marathon (I believe they claim to be the highest paved marathon in the world) and also running with the horses marathon in Wyoming, 7500 at the start as I recall with a big descent for the last 1/2. I will echo what others say, plan on going slow. altitude HURTZ. Good luck. Dave

Hi Tim, From my own personal experience, and from everything I've read, I would agree with the "acclimate early or don't bother" theory. I think getting in on Friday and running on Sunday is your best bet short of devoting a week or more to acclimatizing. Two weeks seems to be the magic number for a lot of people running Leadville and Hardrock. Also, acclimatization varies wildly from person to person (and even with same person on different trips) and it's not at all related to one's level of fitness. There's actually a higher level of AMS (altitude sickness) in people who are very fit... but I doubt you'll have problems with AMS sleeping in Denver and Steamboat, and you won't be high for long enough at the race for it to matter. (The theory is the very fit have a much lower respiration rate while sleeping which can lead to Cheyne-Stokes respiration. I would say expect to run a slower time (heck, I've lived here in Boulder at 5500' for 5 years now and I'm still slower than I was at sea level). Max HR also drops with altitude... so if you race by HR, you may want to adjust. At 8000' my Max HR (and Anaerobic Threshold) is about 10% lower than it is at sea level. The course is downhill, so that will help... it's the uphills that really hurt when you're acclimatizing. It's also not *terribly* high, with a high point of 8100'. When I lived at sea level and climbed out here I would really notice the suffering above about 10k. As others have said, hydrate well, but be sure to take in adequate electrolytes. A good friend of mine comes to visit often from sea level. He would drink water like crazy before arriving, and in the first few days, but he'd always get heinous muscle cramps. Turns out he wasn't taking in enough sodium and was diluting the sodium in his plasma. Eat some salty foods when you arrive. I'd take some electrolyte capsules during the race too... in the super dry and cool air out here it's really easy to lose a lot of fluids and electrolytes without noticing it (the sweat evaporates so fast you never notice it). Diamox is a medication that can help with acclimatization, but it causes quite a bit of dehydration, so I wouldn't use it for something like a race. It has a bunch of odd side effects too, like tingling in the extremities, swelling, etc. It's more suited to climbers on a long expedition who are sleeping at very high elevations. The best advice I can offer is expect to run slower and just have a great time! That course is very beautiful and June in Colorado is stunning! Let me know if you have any other questions... I'd be glad to (try) to assist. - Chris PS: Bring warm clothes too... it could still snow at 8000' in June.

Going to do Bolder Boulder so kind of nervous about it myself , even that altitude.

That's a fun and HUGE race... have a great time! It's hard to beat coming into Folsom Field (CU's football statium) in front of 50,000 cheering people! Are you going to be in town long?

Tim, I agree with all that has been said and would only add to look at your watch less and listen to your body more. Everyone reacts differently to altitude, and only your body can tell you how you feel and what you are capable of maintaining. Also, don't forget the sunscreen. You don't want to end up looking like these - - ->