I first began running with this group of folks back in the fall of 2012. I attended the meet-ups on…read moreand off up until October 2014 when I took over as Organizer. I've been having a blast ever since. Each month we enjoy around 1 themed run and 1 run sponsored by a local company (past guests included Skratch Labs, Newton Running, and Polar Bottle). The wait staff at Walnut are so warm and friendly - happy hour for beer and 25% off menu items under $15 isn't too bad either. We have around 20 runners per week. Outside of these weekly runs we also register for races together. Sign-in at 6:15pm, group photo and head out to run at 6:30PM sharp. If you commute by bike please be sure to bring a U-Lock (we had 2 bike thefts just before Christmas).

2015 was the 3rd year for the Winter Park Wipeout event. The Winter Park Rotary Club and the Denver…read moreOyster race people put this event on. I've never had more fun wearing costumes through the town of Winter Park doing crazy little challenges. I ate a syrup pancake without hands and had syrup all over my face, we played pictionary on the Library's window, played Pin the Antlers on the Moose, learned a dance routine, attempted to blow a bubble like a kid again, and jumped into a foam pit. The Zorbs looked fun but the line was too long. This year they included 2 hours of tubing at the Colorado Adventure Park in the ticket and they had a dj, bonfire and the Great Divide brewery there. It was a fun day and a chance to do something different in Winter Park and I had never been to the Colorado Adventure Park- the tubing was really fun.

Recently this past weekend 96 riders from around the world descended to the magical hills of…read moreColorado, to compete in the 2nd Annual Buffalo Bill Downhill Skateboard Race. Riders from as far as Australia to Vancouver, Canada and all across the US attended this TWO DAY MEGA Event, to test their skills on what is considered to be one of THE MOST Technical Roads in the US. Although Downhill skateboarding is illegal in the state of Colorado, (which is why the riders and racers would like the exact location of the event to remain secret for safety purposes). Thanks to Justin Dubois (Event Organizer & Downhill racer) and all the sponsors for the event, he was able to get the road closed for the 2 day event in order to keep the riders safe. These riders wear full leather suits, gloves and helmets to keep them safe as well as the 757 hay bales set-up in various corners to protect the riders from sliding off the treacherous mountain side as they slide, drift, and jockey for position at speeds of 40mph in the 4 man heats. In 2009, there are 46 racers. The race saw a dramatic increase registered racers to 96, putting Colorado on the map for one of the most sought after races in the US. This race has become one of three legally sanctioned race in the US with the hopes of many more to come in the future. Thanks to all the Volunteers, Sponsors and safety efforts of Justin Dubois, the race completed itself without any MAJOR injuries to any racers. Vancouver's Kevin Reimer taking first place, Local rider Zak Maytum taking 2nd (Zak was last years winner) and Colorado's Kyle Wester taking 3rd place. Along with the addition to Fuel TV taken part and filming, there were about 200 or more spectators over the 2 Day event, who watched and cheered these professional longboarders pushing the limits of the speed barrier on top of the Mountain. Above anything else, I enjoyed my time while Hubs taking his turn to volunteer and taking some time to do some runs on his Skateboard, Street Luge and Butt Board from that Gnarly Mountain. Cant wait to return for the 3rd Annual Event, Next Year!

Beautiful scenic route around the outskirts of town. Beautiful mountain views!!!! Water stops at…read moreevery mile after mile 5 and frequent before that!!! Port o johns a plenty!!! Nicely organized!

The Estes Park Half Marathon and 10k are wonderful races! (I haven't done the full or the 5k). The…read more10k starts at the High School, runs down and around Lake Estes, and comes back up to the back of the school to finish on the track. The Half Marathon starts at the school, winds around the lake, up hwy 34, then up Dry Gulch, across to Devil's Gulch, and back down into town. Back around the lake and up to finish on the High School Track. They are both well provisioned with water stops and other racing necessities such as: gels and gatorade. There are more snacks at the finish. The races can be difficult if you aren't used to altitude or hills, particularly a 4 mile uphill from mile 3-7 of the half. They are both beautifully scenic, with great views of Long's Peak. The tech shirt provided with your bib is a great quality, and the medal for the half is a nice acknowledgement of your race! Fun race, good value.

Participants Perspective - Expo: Exciting and the spacing of…read morevendors made it feel "covid safe." Plus there was plentiful of vendors that commercialized free items to try/ sample. Another thing was bib/ packet pick-up was easily to navigate. - Morning of race aka start line... corral and coordination was seamless - During race... I felt like I saw all the sightseeing highlights of Denver in a 26.2 mile viewpoint. There was plenty of hydration points every 2miles and felt like it was well organized. There was no confusion on where to turn and plenty of volunteers to help the navigation. - Post race... Food from finish to non re-entry of finish line was wonderful. However, I am as not a fun of them offering free "lunch" hard-boiled eggs (vegetarian option) or brats (pork and beef options) with plain lays potato chips. Neither of these sounded appetizing to me after running 26.2 miles. The There was 2 free drinks for runners of all distances which was nice. Spectator Perspective - Expo:My other half has been to several of my race expos and this one felt larger and more exciting - Organization: Other half felt like this is was the best time organized when it comes to expo and actually race event. - Information provided by race committee made it possible for spectators to find runner easily.

I can't think of any negatives during this year's Colfax Marathon. I ran the Urban 10 Miler, the…read morerace staff provided easy to understand directions and started each runner wave promptly on time. While running, several stations existed for water, Gatorade, energy bars, and energy shots. They also helped with directions during the splits from other race types. I never had to worry about getting water, help, etc. as they put on a great job, definitely a great thing when just focusing on running!

This was my fourth Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon…read more Overall, I would say it was okay but I probably wouldn't rush back to do it again. Expo was nice but small compared to others (especially San Diego), but then again the race was smaller. They said around 15,000 people ran the full and the half. Volunteers were nice but I spoke to two people who tried to get info on the relay and were given conflicting information so probably need to work those issues out and make sure volunteers have the correct info. And this was at the information tent on race day! The course had some nice parts, especially running through City Park and Cheesman Park but boy, it's mostly uphill until you peak a little after mile 11. I don't know if it was the altitude or the hills but I had my worst time ever at this race. This was my seventh this year and around my 38th overall and this was a real challenge. The Jamba Juice at the end was great. I'd say overall the race was fairly well organized but I just wasn't a fan of the course. I had more fun in Savannah and San Antonio.

The Rock & Roll 1/2 is a staple of the Denver running circuit. It is a great goal race if this is…read moreyour big race of the year, and it is timed nicely in front of some of the late-autumn out-of-town marathons if you are ramping up to the next level. Unfortunately Rock & Rock stopped hosting a full marathon as part of this event after 2015, but the 10k and 1/2 marathon are well run and consistent over the years. The cost is high but there are good deals if you sign up early. In their defense they do have higher costs as the course takes over much of downtown Denver and they have to pay for all of the police and security, plus all of the road closures. Expo - It is what you would expect from Rock & Roll - a big, busy opportunity to spend money. For this race, it is the reason why I rated the event 4 stars instead of 5. The pickup location at the Stock Show is hard to access (there is a ton of construction going on now, but it wasn't good before the construction started). The Stock Show venue is far from pretty much everything (including the race!), and lacks a whole lot of public transportation. They charge $5 to park. It isn't the nicest place in Denver, either. Pre-Race - The start/finish is at Civic Center Park, and there are lots of places to park (street parking is free on Sundays, too). There are some good hotels nearby, so people who want to make a weekend out of it can stay close by. You can upgrade to VIP status and gain access to the heated tents, food, and private porta-potties. I've never splurged on that, but the mornings in Denver in mid-October are usually cool and dark (the race is early), so come prepared one way or another. The Course - The current 1/2 course may be the best 1/2 course I've run in Denver. It is challenging but fair. The first 6 miles weave through downtown and lower downtown, past the Pepsi Center and Coors Field. The 10k runners split off at roughly the 6 mile point, and the 1/2 runners continue east to City Park. After a couple of miles around the park, the course travels back on the streets and then back to City Park. The last mile or so is slightly downhill, so if you pace yourself early you can gain some speed at the end. The entire 13.1 miles takes you through active neighborhoods, parks, and business districts, so there is lots to see and enjoy along the way. Post-Race - Well supported, with top-notch entertainment. Good support for runners and spectators. Overall - The best way to run this race is to sign up early (save $$$), have a good plan for the expo, and one of the better courses to see and experience running in Denver.

'And if you are not familiar with Denver's landscape, the course is essentially flat with little to…read moreno elevation change.' From the Denver marathon website. I found the statement to be misleading. The course was staggered with various hills. I mentally noted several rolling climbs at miles, 9, 10, 13, 16. However, I enjoyed the view of the city. The race was well organized from all aspects. Oct 19th, 2008 the availability of the Sheraton is fantastic for the Denver Marathon. The hotel is less than 5 minute walk from the start/finish line. In fact I was able to see the start-line from my room in the tower. The hotel itself was kind of disappointing. It is in desperate need of a renovation. The grab-to-go breakfast was pathetic... don't bother. Just go across the street to Starbucks or Peet's coffee. As I mentioned, b/c of the proximity to the hotel, I did not leave the hotel until about 6:50. The weather was fantastic. High 40s and basically no winds. Civic Center Park was buzzing with excitement... the starting area was full of runner, supporters, news crew etc. The race started exactly on time at 7:00AM. The first three miles circles the Pepsi center and Coors Field. There are many blocks of revitalized brick buildings that looked to be once industrial but now storefronts and residential flats. I did miss the mile 2 marker but caught the mile 3 marker right in front of Coors field. Miles 4-6. I catch the glimpse of elite runners routing back from across the street. That is always depressing. Man, they are all lean and fast. Miles 6-9. There are plenty of water stations. We run through City Park. This is a huge park. I am thankful for the large tree/bushes. Hey, I am not the only one. Coming out of 9, I made the first mental note of hills... Hey, didn't they advertise this to be a "fast and flat" course? Around Mile 11, I take off my headphones when I see the half marathon split. I want to make sure I do not go the wrong way (like I did in Salt Lake). But the organizers did a good job. Only one split and it was well posted. Mile 13, we split from the half marathoners. I like it. The streets open up for everyone. We climb from 13-14 while watching running circle back across the street on a down hill. This sucked. Mile 16. More hills. Now I am getting kind of pissed. I note that I am off my PR pace. While I did not set out to break my PR, I am certain that this race cannot be labeled "flat and fast." Forward to 17-22. I am holding up very well. Better than my previous race in New Mexico. We've just circled in and out of yet another park (Washington). This park was full of spectators and non-marathon runners. Past mile 19 was the final relay station. It isn't nice to have people gun pass you at mile 20 with fresh legs. Mile 22-25. There are many many water stations between these miles and a couple of Cliff Shot stations. Probably too many in my opinion but nevertheless, I think more is better than not enough. A lot less turns in between these miles and all street running. It gets warm enough to take off my long sleeve shirt. I also notice many spectators. It was a surprise to see how many people were cheering. It always helps to hear encouragement and get high fives from the crowd. Thank you Denver. Mile 25-26. I catch my final wind. I fight off a few runners who attempted to pass me. Its just the mental game I use to keep going. But I know I am close to the finish line. I know I am off PR pace but I am glad nevertheless. Mile 26 marker. One more left turn and I know the finish line is in sight. Back to where I started 4 + hours ago. I feel great. What is next?

They've changed to the Rock N Roll Half Marathon although my understanding is that much of the…read morecourse is similar. PRE-RACE: The expo is held in the convention center which is well-organized and easy to get to. One of the nice touches are that the expo, start and finish lines are all within a few blocks. Seeing as how these are all at the center of the city, if you choose a central hotel (and there are a number of options) getting around for this race is really easy. COURSE: There are some things that I really liked and didn't like about the course. The race starts near the downtown civic park and runs past several sites: Pepsi Center, Coors Field and the Art Museum. A great touch with this is since you're heading west for part of this, you see the Rockies at sunrise. By the fourth mile, you're heading back into the center of the city and do a number of loops through CIty Park. This continues until you pass the nine mile mark where you head towards Cheesman Park. From there it's a two mile run back to the finish near the capitol. There are a few small hills, mostly notable heading towards Cheesman park. I wouldn't classify any of these as gigantic, but may be a little tougher at altitude. Probably my biggest complaint about the course is that you're doing a lot of staggered loops through City Park. It's a nice area, but the course meanders and you keep seeing runners going in the opposite direction 20 yards away. Then there's a section where you run about 10 blocks on one side of the street, then back down the other side of the street. OVERALL: But these course complaints are minor quibbles. Overall this is a great race and they do well with bands lined up along the course. Aid stations and water were abundant. This is a fantastic race for the Denver area.

Avoid this event at all costs!!! Even though this is an affordable event it is absolutely…read morehorrible!! The staff/volunteers have NO clue what is going on or what they needed to do. The DJ putting on the music or giving instructions couldn't even stand how bad things were going and said it on the mic. I will not be going next year and I would not recommend to anyone!

I utilized RunFree for Physical Therapy. The therapy was effective and I would recommend RunFree PT…read morefor anyone who has pain or injury getting in the way of their activity, check them out!

Offered great solutions and direction for my IT band pain, and I've had no issues with it since!read more