Steamboat Springs Half Marathon
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Sunday, June 2, 2013

I race walked the Steamboat Springs Half Marathon in Steamboat Springs, Colorado on Sunday, June 2, 2013 on a good weather day with a cold temperature of about 33 degrees when I started and with a temperature of 68 degrees when I finished. The skies were sunny and the wind was nearly calm. The half marathon started on County Road 129 at an elevation of about 7100 feet and finished at the Court House in Steamboat Springs at an altitude of about 6700 feet. There were quite a few short up-hills, some of which were somewhat steep, interspersed along the mostly down-hill course. The participants had a dedicated lane on all roads that were closed to traffic. On the two lane sections of roadways a police car lead the traffic on the other lane, first one way then the other. Water/Gatorade stations were located approximately every 3 to 4 miles which were somewhat too far apart in my opinion. The stations had plenty of enthusiastic volunteers for the 1100 half marathoners. There were also 500 marathoners who had their first 13.1 miles on County Road 129 starting at an altitude of about 8200 feet and dropping steeply to join the beginning of the half marathon course and proceeding to the same finish line. The event was very well organized and fun in a city noted for its winter snow skiing.