Three Creeks Half Marathon - 2022
Random Thursday at work
“What am I gonna do this weekend?”
Google searches “things to do in Denver this weekend”
Three Creeks Half Marathon on Saturday morning? Why not?
The organizers’ description of this event from their website:
Racing Underground brings you an amazing half marathon this spring! The Three Creeks Half Marathon features a half marathon course that is flat, fast and scenic!
Travel on foot through some of the most beautiful parts of Cherry Creek State Park, with a total combined elevation gain of only 291 feet spread out over 13.1 miles as the course follows the banks of Cherry Creek, Windmill Creek, and Cottonwood Creek on a mix of road, paved running trail, and wide dirt trails.
We hope to see you at the 8th annual Three Creeks Half this April!
Darrin, Jill,and the Racing Underground Crew
This sounded good enough to me, so I signed up without much more thought. The course is around Cherry Creek Reservoir. It’s the same location where I completed the Chilly Cheeks Duathlon so I knew it would be a nice setting.
Here’s the announcer booth and the start/finish line. The whole event was well organized. The course was well marked and there were ample volunteers around.
Parking was in a nearby school lot, and it was probably a mile away. Fortunately they had free bag drop so it wasn’t a big deal and you didn’t have to run anything back to your car.
There were over 200 total runners in the event, but it wasn’t too crowded at the start. There were multiple pacers so you could line up where you thought you would finish.
The organizers had an early start for slower runners. If you expected a finish time of 3+ hours, you could join the early wave. I thought it was a cool idea because it makes the finish experience more enjoyable for that group. I hadn’t seen that at a race before, so I thought it was pretty cool.
The weather turned out amazing. I think it started in the low 30’s and warmed up to the 40’s during the run. The course also had some cool views of the front range with a big blue sky!
There was a food truck (trailer?) serving pancakes and sausage at the finish. Everything tastes better after a workout, and these flapjacks sure hit the spot! The woman wearing the safety vest also brought some homemade banana bread. I love to be handed a beer at the end of a race, but I think from now one a close second will be pancakes and banana bread!
I was targeting a two hour finish, but I missed the mark. Time for some excuses: I met some new friends at a volleyball game the night before and we enjoyed some drinks together so I wasn’t in prime condition when I showed up. I’m also nursing some bruised ribs from a snowboard crash last weekend - oops! Regardless, I didn’t stop to walk, and I finished strong. I consider it a win.
The winner completed the half in 1:13:08 - almost an hour faster than me!
Here’s the participant medal from the event. The top finishers won some cash, and maybe a different medal? I was so far behind that when I finished the awards ceremony was almost over!
Overall it was a fun event. If you’re looking for a well organized event, minimal elevation gain, and some tasty post-race pancakes, look no further than the Three Creeks Half Marathon!