The Grand Descent

The 2014 Revel Rockies Marathon

I should have a personal rule regarding marathon entries: signing up may only be done within six hours of completing a marathon. It is easy to enter a marathon when sitting comfortably before a computer, browsing the Internet for upcoming races. Such was the case with the Revel Rockies Marathon. I saw an online article about this new marathon starting at more than 10,000 feet in altitude in the Rocky Mountains. It looked like a fast marathon. I could not resist signing up, even though I had already signed up for the Mt. Sneffels Marathon scheduled the previous week. I’m beginning to think that I might have an incurable addiction to marathons.

I did run the Mt. Sneffels Marathon on August 9th. Since Revel was coming up quickly, I struggled through a couple of training runs during the week. I wondered how I would do with such a short recovery time and a couple of slow training runs.

I went to bed at 8:00 PM on Saturday night in order to arise at 2:00 AM. Normally, I fall asleep quickly after a little reading or television. Not so, knowing I needed to get up in a few short hours. I tossed and turned, finally getting a little sleep sometime after midnight.

I was up at 2:00 AM and out the door and in my little truck by 2:45. The one good thing about that time of morning is that there is almost no traffic. I made it to the parking area near the Bandimere Speedway (west of Denver) in about forty minutes. Runners were already boarding the first bus.

I realize that school buses are probably the most economical way of transporting runners, but a bus made for grade school children does not work for someone over six feet in height. Upon entering the bus I made my way down the aisle looking for a place to sit. I came upon running acquaintance and fellow Maniac, Dagmar Knudsen. Dagmar invited me to sit down and we visited during the ride up. I felt a bit rude as I was turned towards the aisle since I could not move my legs forward.

The bus ride up was its own adventure. School bus drivers are not in the habit of driving their buses up winding mountain roads. It was a slow drive, as the driver crawled around numerous sharp corners. It took over an hour to cover the route up. Additionally, the driver was not entirely sure where to go. The consensus of those in the bus, who thought they knew where they were going, guided us on to all the correct roads.

Ours was the first bus to arrive at the staging area. It was still dark and it was cool, though tolerable. At least the porta potti lines were short. Other buses arrived and before long there were a few hundred runners standing around waiting for the start of the race, including a number of Marathon Maniacs.

The race organizers had us walk down the road a hundred yards or more from the staging area to the start line. It was just starting to get light and it was a gorgeous August morning for a marathon.

The race started without fanfare and we began our 26.2 mile descent back down to Morrison. My biggest concern about this race was that the road would be too steep. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a comfortable incline. There have been a few races where I had felt the need to slow down due to the steep grade. This was not the case with the Revel Rockies Marathon. On the other hand, every time I checked my Garmin I found that I was going much faster than my normal pace for a marathon. I hoped that I would not bonk with a dozen miles to go.

The number of marathoners was low enough (just over 300) that I ran most of the race solo, though I could almost always see other runners. Early on in the race I ran with Seth Kramer from Florida, whom I had previously met at the Riverboat Series. Seth ran a tough marathon in Wyoming the day before, so he was running cautiously and I slowly pulled ahead. Those fresh legs make a difference. I also chatted with Juli Johnson from Minnesota at the start, then again further along the course.

I knew the course was fast when I passed the half marathon mark at just over 2 hours 17 minutes and I was still feeling good. That is as fast as I have run any half marathon in the past two years. I wondered if I should slow down. That slow down came naturally at mid course as we ran along the Evergreen Parkway. There were a few short hills and I partially walked those.

Somewhere past mile 14 the course left Evergreen Parkway and continued its descent towards Morrison. As we dropped in altitude, there were fewer trees and the day became warmer. I also think that the incline of the road was less, though I continued with a faster than average pace. My twentieth mile was, by far, my slowest mile at a 13:28 pace. I usually back off a little around mile 19 to prepare myself for the finish. I stopped for a few moments at the aid station for water, Gatorade, Vaseline, and a gel. After getting through that mile, the pace picked up. I ran 12 minute miles, or faster, through the remainder of the course.

I struggled through the last three miles, but could see that I might finish with a great time if I maintained a good pace. I wanted to walk, and I did for short stretches, but maintained a pace that brought me in for a 4:49:13 finish. This was my fastest marathon since returning to running in 2009. It was a good run and gravity sure helps.

I did not linger around the finish area for long before taking off for home. It took another day before I learned the cost of pushing the pace and running downhill for so many miles. My quads were extremely sore. I went out for a 2.5 mile walk to see if my legs would loosen up. It took me 54 minutes to walk the distance. Those legs were not back to normal until the following weekend.

This was a good marathon, especially for an inaugural event. As advertised, it was a beautiful and fast course. Except for the first two aid stations, the support during the remainder of the race was excellent. Major street crossings were managed by law enforcement. I was not thrilled with the finish area. It was rocky, warm, and bare. A park is always nicer, but I’m not sure there is anything like that available in the area. The packet pickup went quickly. It was great that they threw in a pair of gloves and a space blanket to keep runners warm at the staging area. Additionally, the photos were free. Digital downloads usually cost more than $50 for a complete set, so this was a huge bonus. I plan on signing up for Revel Rockies again, but I think I will do more downhill training next year.