Run Through Time Marathon

I love Salida, Colorado. It is a great town for summer and winter sports, amazing trails within walking and driving distance of the town. Ski resort is small but amazingly affordable. Restaurants are decent+, and in the summer, pre-Covid, many bars had great outside music. Now this marathon- it is just as friendly, but it is not easy. I wonder if any marathon is harder. The uphill half is hard, 4000 feet of gain?, but the downhill is harder- trails, rocks (mud and snow this year.). I got through the half and thought the downhill could improve my slow pace, but no, even slower. This is a hard marathon. Beautiful scenery, great town to visit if you want to go slightly off the path in Colorado, friendly staff. OMG- did I mention the course was hard?

Surprisingly enough, if you are looking for pace, get it in the first uphill half which is mostly on roads. Downhill parts are often so steep you need to walk between boulders. I wouldn't look for pace here- I'd look for scenery and amazing micro brews after in a cool town with everything walking distance from the finish.

There is a free parking lot right by the start on F street that should have plenty of spaces at the early start. Wear sunscreen as the mountain sun heats up very quickly despite the cold start. You can show up 5 minutes before start- everything is small. Look at the course map before you start (like any race) as some of the turns are tricky,