magnolia road

its kinda flowery

It's a good, high dirt road with some hills and not a lot of traffic (depending on when you go). Nothing more, nothing less. There's others not far from Boulder, but that one is probably the best. I'm sure there's runners in Ft. Collins who will have good things to say about Old Flowers Rd / Trail as well.

BDG

Magnolia road is totally overrated! I trained there 20 years ago when the old school CU guys from the 70s showed it to me. It's very dusty, horribly uneven and not very scenic (the starts not bad). There are A LOT of better runs, but Magnolia is popular because it is close to town. If you want scenery, nice trails and less traffic you could go to Switzerland or maybe down to White Ranch.

I agree, the dirt road also only goes out about 8 miles or so. It's much tougher going out, the way back you can avg 1min faster on each mile, running easier. It's also not that soft these days.

I still think it's a nice place to train because of the altitude, you can get a good benifit while your legs get to go slow, and from Boulder it's not far of a drive.

It's definitely not as hard as people say. It's the subject of much lore and legend due to Lear's book. It's still a decent run, but there are many more in Boulder that are better and more challenging.

DittoIt is only hard if you race your team mates there every other weekend.

Sound and Vision wrote:

It's definitely not as hard as people say. It's the subject of much lore and legend due to Lear's book. It's still a decent run, but there are many more in Boulder that are better and more challenging.

I think its pretty darn tough if you start at the bottom of it.

If it's 102 in Boulder Mags serves its purpose as it will be in the 80s up there. Its average altitude is 8500'.

check out the Kennedy training photos, theres a link on the front page. Thats Mags, at the turn around point, the very end of the road.

The road from Rollinsville to Moffat Tunnel is not too shabby ... although it can be busy during the summer on the weekends.

Magnolia road is just a dirt road at high altitude with some rolling hills to remind you that you are at altitude. The secnery isn't too bad either ...

My understanding is that Moffat was kindof a secret. I've never seen many runners up there during the summers i've been there. Its probably the best run in the area--shhh!!

Its a great aerobic workout

I guess the secret is out ... see what happens when you let geeks into the clubhouse.

BDG wrote:

It's a good, high dirt road with some hills and not a lot of traffic (depending on when you go). Nothing more, nothing less. There's others not far from Boulder, but that one is probably the best. I'm sure there's runners in Ft. Collins who will have good things to say about Old Flowers Rd / Trail as well.

BDG

Yeah man, old flowers is a good run. I've never run mags but Old Flowers must be comparable it has some huge hills including a nice 15min climb about 30min in. It starts around 7000 and gets up to 8000. The landscape and views are also very nice up there. You can easily put in 20+miles on it.

To the posters that claim Mags is not that hard...Have you only ran it once? Or have you run it on multiple occasions, b/c I can attest to the fact that if you are having a slightly off day, Mags can be a bitch. Yes, it is easier on the way back, but if the way out wastes you, you don't care how easy the way back is. One thing Mags is good for though...if you have a good day on it, you feel f***ing invincible. It will always serve for great memories during my years at CU.

I am coming to train in boulder a few weeks before new york marathon in november,should i ru n mags or will it trash my legs to much before a marathon?

Run Sourdough trail...coolest run ever.

Fuck Boulder! Hot as shit during the summer and over-congested with wanna-be runners and cyclists! Come to Oregon.... much cooler and prettier! TREES.... water.... ahhhh!

I feel that Magnolia Road is perfect for most marathon training. I have been running it 2-3 times per week the last 3-4 weeks as I prepare for a fall marathon.

It is only brutal for track runners who never train in the hills. If you start at the "normal" end-of-the pavement spot, it is about 7.3-7.4 miles one way to the Peak-to-Peak Hwy. I usually run the out portion much slower because of the 600ft elevation gain (8200 to 8800ft). On good days, that means ~7 min pace out, and ~6 min pace back. Pushing pretty hard I can do a 15 mile roundtrip in 1:35.

I suppose if you expect to run your sea-level medium distance pace, you will definitely suffer. At 5500 ft in Boulder, there is a 3% adjustment or 10 sec/mile adjustment. At 8500ft elevation, there is at least a 20 sec/mile adjustment. Then add the hills and dirt road, which is perfect right now because we have had some rain lately. Running in the early morning or in the evening is extremely rewarding! The great thing about Magnolia is both the mental and physical rewards. You know that if you can handle the terrain that Evans Rutto, Paul Koech and the rest of Dieter Hogan's group do difficult training on, then you will be well-prepared as well. The rolling hills force you to work on all elements of your running.

I read a comment by Culpepper that he stopped running Mags when preparing for Chicago, because the Chicago course is pancake flat. Well NYC is not Chicago, I think Mags will be perfect preparation for the Big Apple.