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I ran the 12-mile race in Creede a few weeks ago and had a wonderful experience! I wanted a casual trail run to work into my summer training and at $50, the Creede Mountain Runs were a great option. I expected a casual atmosphere and that's what I got: a few tents and one person with a microphone to give the starting command, less than 50 in the 12-mile race, and no awards at the end. That was fine with me because, as I said, I expected as much. The small-town feel was exciting and I had a blast on the rough (but not technical) trails above Creede. The elevation gain was a doozy, as was the brutal decent. And yet: I loved it! There were enough runners around me to make it fun, but it was quiet enough that I enjoyed the focus time as well.
While I loved racing in Creede, there are a few drawbacks and details to keep in mind if you're considering the race. For starters, this is not a highly competitive race. You won't find prize money or even medals for finishing. The post-race tents had watermelon and some Clif bars, but nothing compared to a large race finishing area. I also didn't love the fact that the race organizer basically yelled "go" and then was writing down people's times as they finished. It was simple, but perhaps not the most foolproof method. :)
Most importantly, I got lost. Hear me out: I'm an avid trail runner and expected technical trails (I didn't exactly look at the course beforehand). There was no technical running whatsoever, which was a bummer, but there was some poor marking of the course at the very end. I had only a half mile to go when I came to a crossing where there were no more pink flags to guide me. A guy in front of me was headed one way, so I followed him. However, he turned around and said we must have gone the wrong way. So we both ran back to the juncture only to be told (incorrectly) by another runner that we were going the right way initially. This back and forth continued for a solid half mile before someone came by who knew where they were going. Ironically, that runner had missed the same turn four years ago and he said it had cost him the win.
I am amenable to the small-town feel of a race, but not properly marking the course (or fixing a signage issue that had persisted for 4 years!!!) was frustrating to me. I'll be reaching out to ask them to alter that for future runners. Overall, however, that was my only major qualm with the race.
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