You board a school bus in Old Town Square before 5am and ride 17 miles up the Poudre Canyon in the dark, canyon walls closing in on both sides. At Stevens Gulch, 6,111 feet up, the air is cold and smells of river and pine, and the Cache la Poudre is loud beside the road. From the gun the pavement tilts downhill and the river stays on your shoulder for most of the morning, slipping past rock faces and the occasional fly fisher. The grade is gentle but relentless, so run the first half by feel, not by watch, and save your quads for the flatter miles into town. The canyon finally opens onto the plains, the course follows the bike path into Fort Collins, and you finish on Howes Street beside Washington Park. A brewery is never far away afterward.
Point-to-point downhill run from Stevens Gulch (6,111 ft) along the Cache la Poudre River through the Poudre Canyon into downtown Fort Collins, with the organizer citing about 1,200 ft of total elevation loss. Course map ↗
Registration opens 2026-07-01. Organizer stated '2027 registration will open July 1st' and the site now says '2027 Registration is Now Open!' on RunSignup. The 2023-2026 races sold out; the FAQ (2026 wording) caps the marathon at 1,500 and the half at 1,600. Strict no-refund, no-deferral, no-transfer policy; $20 distance-change fee after 01/01/27. Register ↗
- The marathon starts at Stevens Gulch, about 17 miles up the Cache la Poudre Canyon, at 6,111 ft and finishes on Howes Street adjacent to Washington Park in downtown Fort Collins. ↗
- First held in 2002 (formerly the Fort Collins Old Town Marathon); in its first four years 18% of finishers qualified for Boston. ↗
- Boston-qualifying rates were 12.3% in 2024, 8.9% in 2025 and 6.3% in 2026; course max elevation 6,117 ft, min 4,969 ft. ↗
- The race was designated the RRCA Colorado State Marathon Championship for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, and registration for 2023-2026 sold out. ↗
- Marathon field is capped at 1,500 and the half at 1,600 (per the organizer FAQ), with a 6-hour course limit and no refunds, deferrals or transfers. ↗
Checked 2026-10-13. Always confirm on the official site before booking travel.