I haven’t run the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon since 2019. The course is usually a downhill route from Ouray to Ridgway, dropping about 1,000 feet (although you do have some hilly gains too… it’s not completely downhill). In 2024, there was road damage due to storms, and they had to change it. It became an out-and-back from Ridgway with about 600 feet of elevation gain. When I say this made it one of the hardest half marathons I’ve ever run, it was. Starting at 7,000 feet and running uphill is not easy.
Before the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon:
We drove to Montrose over a two-day trip (about 5-6 hours each day). We have family out that way that we haven’t seen and were excited to visit. It was a long drive, and no one feels good after driving nearly 12 hours. We did a short shakeout run, ate plenty of pancakes, and slept decently well the night before.
The morning of, I was slightly worried about parking with the course change, so I thought we should get to the race 90 minutes early. Well, we were literally the first people there. We beat the race director! We just relaxed and then did about a one-mile warmup. I felt winded running uphill but told myself it would all work out.
Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon Race:
Before we knew it, it was time for the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon race start. The nice thing about smaller races is that I wasn’t even at the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon start line until 90 seconds before the race started. I made it with plenty of time to spare. I figured the new Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon race course would be mostly uphill going out and downhill coming back. I wanted to be smart on the way out so I’d have energy for the return.
As we headed into the first mile of the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon, I found myself in fourth place overall among the women. I could see the second and third-place runners but didn’t see the leader. I hit the first mile in a comfortable 7:49. It felt tough but not overwhelming, though I definitely felt winded going uphill.
From there, I realized I needed a restroom. Given the remote area, I wasn’t sure if there would be bathrooms along the race course, and there was nowhere to hide. Just after mile 2, I spotted a porta-potty and dipped in. I was in there for about 20 seconds and then headed back down the screeching downhill. I didn’t remember having to run up that last time, but my husband said it was the worst part of the race. With the stop and downhill, I ran mile 3 of the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon in 7:53.
Between miles 3 and 4, I realized I could see the third-place woman. I couldn’t tell if I was catching up to her but thought I must be. Then I saw a spectator you rarely encounter at races—a cat on a leash. Honestly, it made me so happy, and I kept thinking about it.
The next few miles involved more elevation gain than you’d expect. Running felt incredibly hard, but looking back, each mile gained roughly 100 feet. I knew it would get easier just after halfway, and I ran 8:00, 8:04, and 8:12. I eventually passed the third-place woman and hoped I could power downhill faster.
There was a super steep hill just before the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon’s halfway point at 6.55 miles, and I honestly stopped to walk but then decided to slowly jog up. The halfway point felt like I was on top of the world, and now it was time to crush some downhill.
From there, I was running with two men, and we began ripping downhill. I felt like I was falling. I remembered I hadn’t really had too much of my liquid fuel. The Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon was cupless, and I opted to run with my own bottle filled with UCAN. After running the La Jolla Half Marathon, I realized I prefer to carry my own nutrition. I can’t say I love the idea of cupless races. I appreciate that they’re saving cups and reducing litter, but I don’t enjoy carrying my own bottle. Still, I forced myself to carry it from miles 7-10 so I could sip occasionally.
I flew through the next few miles, running 7:01, 7:03, and 7:08. Between miles 9 and 10, I saw the cat again and decided I wanted to take a photo with him. What can I say? I’m a cat lady through and through. I stopped to take a photo and was as clumsy as you can be mid-race. It took me around 20 seconds (I wish I knew how fast that mile would have been without the stop—it was likely well under 7 minutes).
Afterward, I had a fear that I might lose a podium spot because I stopped to take a photo with a cat. Honestly, I can’t think of anything more on-brand for me!
From there, I knew what was coming—the steep uphill at mile 11. After pushing hard for over four miles, I was tired, and I could feel it. When I hit the uphill, I told myself to just keep moving forward. By then, we had merged with the 10K runners, and it was nice to see more people on the course. But boy, did that uphill knock me out—I can’t recall a time when I’ve been more winded.
The last two miles of the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon were some of the hardest miles I’ve ever run in a race. I was wheezing and completely exhausted but kept telling myself not to stop. I felt like I was crawling. I think I said “good job” to some of the 10K runners, but I might have just grunted—I honestly have no clue.
I ran the final two miles in 7:23 and 7:18. When I saw the finish line, I thought the course might be a bit short, but it wasn’t, and I crossed in 1:40:15.
Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon Thoughts:
I was really surprised to finish as the third overall woman. It was definitely the hardest “road” race (although it’s exclusively on dirt/gravel) I’ve ever done. I’m proud of myself for finishing strong. You can’t compare this year to previous ones due to the course difference, but I think I could likely run a 1:32-1:33 in a standard road half marathon right now. We’ll see! I love the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon, and no matter where it’s held, it’s one of the most beautiful races I’ve ever done and remains a favorite.
You can see Strava here and more race recaps here.
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Questions for you:
What is your favorite half marathon?
Have you ever raced at altitude?