An absolutely beautiful, Rocky Mountain sunrise greeted thousands of runners at the REVEL Rockies Marathon and Half-Marathon on June 12, 2016. Perfect weather and a stunningly beautiful and fast course helped dozens of runners achieve PRs and BQs.

"The course was majestic, I felt really lucky in life to be running in such a beautiful place,” said Claudia De La Via, who ran the marathon and beat her BQ time by 12 minutes. Claudia’s description of her experience is similar to dozens of runners in both the half-marathon and the marathon: “Definitely felt a runner's high from start to finish."

The REVEL Rockies Marathon and Half-Marathon, on June 12 in Denver, Colorado, was a tremendous success. In the marathon, runners began the race near the Echo Mountain Ski Resort on Squaw Pass Road. With breathtaking views of the surrounding Rocky Mountains, the marathoners were treated to a gorgeous sunrise over the distant Denver landscape to the east.

Meanwhile, 13.1 miles ahead, half-marathoners began their race in the serene, calm beauty of Evergreen, Colorado.

All of the runners were treated to some of the most spectacular scenery in the West as they made their way along the final 10 miles of the course, which followed the crystal clear and gently flowing waters of Bear Creek all the way to the finish area in Morrison, Colorado, home of the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Overall, the extremely fast and beautiful downhill course drew outstanding reviews from the marathoners and half-marathoners, and remarkable finish times from the overall winners in both events.

Top Finishers

In the marathon, Grant Bell, 22, returned to reclaim his winning position with a finishing time of 2:28:43. In second place, only 36 days after his win at the 2016 Mt Charleston Marathon, was Gary Krugger, 31, with a finish of 2:41:16. Christopher Gombeski, 29, was the third-place finisher with a time of 2:43:46.

In the women’s marathon, Kathryn Brake, 26, won with a time of 3:03:25. Lauren Delfeld, 27, was the second-place finisher in 3:09:31. In third place, with a time of 3:13:38, was Paige Fisher, 26.

In the half-marathon, Jacob Kuntz, 25, won with a 1:17:42 finish. Ryan Parker, 20, and Scott Gelletich, 29, rounded out the top 3 with finishes of 1:18:49 and 1:22:31, respectively.

The women’s half-marathon had a very tight finish. Yianna Antonoppoulos, 29, was the overall female winner of the half-marathon with a finish in 1:23:17. In second place, only 18 seconds behind Antonoppoulos, was Susan Loken, 52, with a finishing time of 1:23:35. Coming in third was Jaime Stewart, 40, clocking a 1:25:35 finish.

Runners Rave About Overall Course and Race Logistics

Heather Wilkerson, who ran the half-marathon as part of her ironman training, spoke of the “calm, fun” event, and said that she was “surprised by such a great experience.” Heather added, “You all have taken all the things that I've not liked about other races and made them right. Thank you!”

"BEST ROAD RACE AND MARATHON COURSE I HAVE EVER DONE," wrote Bogdan Dumitrescu, who ran the marathon.

Matthew Walworth commented “What an awesome event! It was a fabulous.” He added “great course and some of the best race personnel and volunteers I have encountered in any event. Kudos for a job well done!”

Gaby Ruiz, who ran her first marathon at REVEL Rockies, said “Great race! I'm glad I chose Revel to be my first full! Amazing experience all around.”

“Couldn't ask for a better marathon experience!” exclaimed Belinda Oh, who ran a PR and a BQ in the marathon. Similarly, Julie Abele, who ran her first half-marathon, said “Everything was so smooth from start to finish. I was impressed by how organized everything was. Great job!” As for the course itself, Julie added “So pretty, I would run that course every day if I could.”

“Fabulous views, fabulous time, fabulous PR, Boston here I come!” said marathon finisher Stewart Layhe, who PRd by 9 minutes and ran a BQ.

Runners Applaud the Beautiful Course

Aimee Cazares, who ran the half-marathon, described the course as “fast and beautiful... Seeing a family of mule deer walk right up to the road was a definite highlight.” Sarah Solano, who ran her first marathon at REVEL Rockies, happily noted that “the view running down the pass was absolutely beautiful...the birds were singing their morning song.”

Nicky Kent, who ran a 13-minute PR and a BQ in the marathon, said “Absolutely gorgeous scenery.” Likewise, half-marathon finisher LaVonda Francis summed up the course as “beautiful,” adding “I really love this course.”

Makaila Monroe, who registered for the half just two days before the race because she “did not want to miss out on such a beautiful course,” wasn't disappointed: “The scenery is beautiful. I was very happy with the race course.” Echoing those comments were Miguel Lopez from Texas, with one word: “beautiful.”

“The scenery was unbelievable,” added Jess Risager. “Sheer cliffs and sparking river made it perfect and memorable!” Likewise, Terre Deegan-Young commented that she “can't imagine a more beautiful and impressive setting…the scenery alone would inspire anyone to complete either race.”

Lyndsy Schultz, who raved about the “unbelievably beautiful course and perfect weather,” commented that “throughout nearly the entire race, I found myself simply enjoying the views and the peace and quiet of the race course.” Similarly, Ronnie Brown called the half-marathon course “gorgeous,” adding that REVEL Rockies was “My first REVEL and not my last.”

Steven Pettit gave high marks to the course and the race organization, saying “This is a beautiful course, I was amazed every step of the way,” and “BEAUTIFUL is the only word that describes this course.” His advice to other runners is to “Sign up for this run and get blown away by the beauty of this course and the fantastic group that puts it on.”

Runners LOVED the Fast Course

Laura Lukac, who PRd in the marathon, raved about the “beautiful race,” the “awesome” volunteers, and the course that helped her “beat my best time by 13 minutes!”

Jordan Javech, who PRd by 17 minutes and beat his BQ by 7 minutes, praised numerous elements of the race and the course: “What a perfect race! The weather conditions couldn't have been better and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Those downhills made for a fast race! I loved it! Boston, here I come!”

Jason Strunk, who ran an 11-minute PR in the half-marathon, called it “BEST...RACE...EVER!”

Dave Brennan gave high marks to the half-marathon course, describing it as “excellent and downhill, no doubt about it!”

Runners Appreciate Race Support and Logistics

Brenda Mundy, who said she would “recommend this race to anyone,” added “It was a beautiful race. Well organized. I would do it again tomorrow.”

Jess Risager, who ran a 10-minute PR in the half-marathon, lauded the race organization, saying “This was the most organized race I've had the pleasure of participating in all the while earning a half marathon PR!!”

“Great day - great course - great logistics,” said Suzanne Dysard, who ran the half-marathon. Like Dysard, runner Cat Rowan called the race logistics “fantastic,” adding that the course “was absolutely beautiful.”
 
Calling the finish area “festive and fun,” half-marathon winner Jacob Kuntz added “Overall, great race!”

For anyone thinking about this race in the future, heed the advice of Stephanie Toms: “Just do it, this is a fantastic race to run.” Likewise, Deseree Thompson, who PRd by 13 minutes in the half, says “Amazing race! Will be back next year.”