The Colfax Marathon is the Ultimate Urban Tour of Denver. Start and finish in Denver’s City Park. Run through Mile High Stadium – home of the Denver Broncos – twice! Run through Denver Fire Station #1, along seven miles of rivers, lakes and bridges – including Sloan’s Lake. Race through …
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The Colfax Marathon is the Ultimate Urban Tour of Denver. Start and finish in Denver’s City Park. Run through Mile High Stadium – home of the Denver Broncos – twice! Run through Denver Fire Station #1, along seven miles of rivers, lakes and bridges – including Sloan’s Lake. Race through eclectic neighborhoods, historic Lakewood, the bustle of Colfax Avenue, and downtown Denver – with views of the majestic Rocky Mountains!
26.2 miles at 5,280 feet elevation? This is one for the bucket list. The Colfax Marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifier race.
The half marathon is a brand new course that takes runners through the Denver Zoo and Downtown Denver! New this year, you’ll experience vibrant Colfax with iconic spots like VooDoo Donuts, Irish Snug, and Cathedral Basilica. The course also takes you by the Capitol, Civic Center Park, 16th Street Mall, Convention Center, stellar Colorado mountain views, and the Cherry Creek Bike Path. While you’re running through downtown, you’ll run through Denver Fire Station #1 and get high-fives by a row of firefighters. This is the only race in the country with a fire station run-through! A runner favorite, the new course keeps the epic mile in Denver Zoo, a once a year chance for you to be watched by rhinos, elephants, camels, monkeys, tigers, and more. The Denver Colfax Half Marathon is the only race to run through Denver Zoo! Oh yeah, our friends from the Colorado Firefighter Calendar are back on the course too providing you encouragement! The homestretch will be running along 17th Street, then 17th Avenue, passing restaurants and historic buildings, before entering Denver’s beautiful City Park for a great after party on the lake with over 20,000 new friends.
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Running at high altitude
I chose to fly out to this run from Cali due to many of the sites the course has to offer. Very scenic running through the zoo, empower field, colfax … MORE
I chose to fly out to this run from Cali due to many of the sites the course has to offer. Very scenic running through the zoo, empower field, colfax street, and a river. The organization was well ran and the expo was very unique as you entered through the broncos press box. The finish line included a few snacks and a fantastic finisher medal. Would recommend.
Great race
This was likely the biggest race I’ve done. It was well organized, everyone seemed to have lots of fun, and lots of options for various ability levels. I wish they … MORE
This was likely the biggest race I’ve done. It was well organized, everyone seemed to have lots of fun, and lots of options for various ability levels. I wish they didn’t use the RaceJoy app- I had lots of trouble with it and months later still don’t know what my time for my leg was.
Expo, race, and after party was a great!
I would definitely recommend this race!! Lots of fun. It does get pretty tight while running in the zoo. After party was fun! Music was great. Didn’t like that the … MORE
I would definitely recommend this race!! Lots of fun. It does get pretty tight while running in the zoo. After party was fun! Music was great. Didn’t like that the only brat choice for lunch was jalapeño. Checked state #15 off.
A Wonderful Race
The race is extremely well-run, it has beautiful scenery, lots of gradual downhills for the second half, and great swag. It also has my all-time favorite marathon moment. Toward the … MORE
The race is extremely well-run, it has beautiful scenery, lots of gradual downhills for the second half, and great swag. It also has my all-time favorite marathon moment. Toward the end of mile 24, you turn off 17th Ave and face a huge uphill run on Vine. Normally late, steep hills are terrible, but the hill here had seemingly hundreds of fans yelling, cheering, beating on drums, and celebrating all the runners. It was the most spectacular thing I’ve ever experienced late in a race. A great race overall, but this was something wonderful.
Great Race
Well Organized. It is pretty cool the course went through the Denver Zoo. A huge positive that the runners of different distance races were never overlapping. MORE
Well Organized. It is pretty cool the course went through the Denver Zoo. A huge positive that the runners of different distance races were never overlapping.
Mile High!
This was my Colorado race. Overall, it was pretty decent. Packet pick up/Expo was at Mile High Stadium. It was very cool to walk around the suites and look down … MORE
This was my Colorado race. Overall, it was pretty decent. Packet pick up/Expo was at Mile High Stadium. It was very cool to walk around the suites and look down at the field from that high up. Lots of companies handing out free samples, which is cool.
I loved the early 0600 start time. My advice is to get there early! I was there by 0430. Had no issues with finding parking. I really liked that they split the start for the different races. The marathon and marathon relay started at 0600 while the half started at 0630. I really liked that the courses were different. I never felt like I was crowded and couldn’t move. Also, it was nice to know that everyone I was running with were all doing the same distance. The highlight for me was running through Mile High Stadium twice. My husband is a huge Broncos fan, so being able to run where his team plays was awesome. I was a little disappointed with the amount of spectators. Not as many as I was thinking there would be. There was one guy with his kids that were handing out popsicles and had spray bottles to spray the runners as they went by…THANK YOU!!
There were plenty of aid stations throughout the course and plenty of music, which is always fun!
Once you crossed the finish, you received your medal and were able to get food. It seemed that by the time I finished most of the food was gone. They had the extra bagels out on one of the tables, someone was handing out trail mix, and then 2 ladies were handing out ice cream sticks. They did offer I think it was a sort of brat lunch. Not sure what you all got with that. I didn’t partake. I finished and just wanted to get back to my hotel and shower. The medals were nice. I didn’t care for the shirt.
The view from the back of the pack
Fine event in the Denver area. Well run production and communication. Pack PU at Mile high stadium was neat. The 1/2 marathon took you through the zoo for a mile … MORE
Fine event in the Denver area. Well run production and communication. Pack PU at Mile high stadium was neat. The 1/2 marathon took you through the zoo for a mile (most animals were sleeping due to the heat), a fire station, downtown, and back to City Park. I thought the crowd support would be stronger, but maybe they petered out by the time I got there. The major issue for this event is the parking. Neither of the sponsor hotels offered transportation to the park. So, a 430 wake up was in order. Would I do this event again? Probably not due to the many other “beauty filled” half marathons in the area, especially the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins just 2 weeks prior. However, I’m glad I participated.
Here's the col' hard fax about Colfax:
I don't understand the hate; I thought this race was pretty good! It showed off many different parts of Denver, which was great. Packet pickup was in the inside concourse … MORE
I don’t understand the hate; I thought this race was pretty good! It showed off many different parts of Denver, which was great.
Packet pickup was in the inside concourse of the Broncos stadium, which was awesome. There were so many different energy shake stands there handing out free samples and even free bags of their product.
Start and finish was at City Park on the east side of Denver. We ran west, mostly on Colfax avenue, for the first half, and then east for the second half. We run on the river greenway around mile 4 and again on miles 20-22, Sloan Lake from miles 8-11, and even downtown from miles 22-24. Cool moments including running through a Denver fire station with a dozen cheering firefighters at mile 4, and running onto the edge of the Broncos field TWICE at mile 6 and mile 20. There were several young Chinese people doing a dragon dance at the edge of Sloan Lake, and they brought SO much energy to their dance, I loved it. I yelled ”你们都很漂亮!” (you are all so beautiful!) as I ran past, but they couldn’t hear me over the drums. Oh well 🙂
Plan for the sun: you run west and it will hit your neck for the first half, and you run east and will need sunglasses for the second half. Hills aren’t bad here. For flat state runners worried about the altitude: research says you will only get 83% as much oxygen in each breath at Denver’s altitude compared to sea level. However, this Illinois kid had no problems with it. I think it’s because I was never really running at full oxygen capacity. Your mouth dries very quickly if you mouth breathe, though. And altitude effects may affect different runners differently. I’m just saying that for me, it was not a problem.
Two things I loved about the production were the 6am start for marathoners, and splitting up marathoners and half marathoners. I loved that they knew it could get hot, so they started the race at 6am, the earliest I’ve ever seen. I was so grateful at the finish. And it was nice to have elbow room at the start because the half marathoners weren’t there. One thing I did not like: mile markers 17, 20, and 23 seemed to be missing. It’s demoralizing to run far more than a mile past the last marker, and still see nothing.
Great Colorado Race
This race was a top-notch production, from the bib pick-up and expo at Empower Field to the free brats and beers at the finish line. One of the highlights was … MORE
This race was a top-notch production, from the bib pick-up and expo at Empower Field to the free brats and beers at the finish line. One of the highlights was the mile through the zoo, where every animal was awake and active. Having a tiger stalk you from the walkway above is quite the early-morning thrill! The race shirts were super soft and attractive and the finish-line swag was plentiful. The course itself gave a nice highlighted tour of the city, with plenty of on-course support from the locals, live music, and even a run through the firehouse accompanied by bagpipe music and cheering firemen. I can’t imagine a smoother race, and I’m excited to return next year.
Up on the Fax
This was a unique opportunity to run Colfax in October (due to COVID) which is one of the best months for weather in Denver. It was also a unique opportunity … MORE
This was a unique opportunity to run Colfax in October (due to COVID) which is one of the best months for weather in Denver. It was also a unique opportunity to run through Bronco’s Stadium while the field was painted for football!
This was my second go around with Colfax. The course is long (literally!) up and down Colfax avenue with a couple of detours along the way. Overall, definitely a fun run! You get to see a lot of historic Colfax Ave in Denver which is great, but Colfax isn’t the best road so watch out for potholes.
I’ve done this race twice as a long time resident of Denver and I would do it again!
Great Way to See Denver
This is a well organized race and a great way to see the city. The course will challenge you, show you the beautiful parts of the city and some of … MORE
This is a well organized race and a great way to see the city. The course will challenge you, show you the beautiful parts of the city and some of the not so beautiful parts. Both the full and the half courses are tough but fun races
Great, supported marathon!
Easy packet pick up at stadium with no parking charge. Decent amount of vendors and easy in/out. Race morning parking in residential streets a bit of a chore. We arrived … MORE
Easy packet pick up at stadium with no parking charge. Decent amount of vendors and easy in/out.
Race morning parking in residential streets a bit of a chore. We arrived really early with no problems.
Not much crowd support but plenty of police coverage and well marked course to keep you safe!
Not much of an after party! As a back of the packer…. No food left except picked over bagels and some iced water:( Musta been too late for music too:(
Mile High Run!
The expo was pretty good, with a one way circle walk-a-bout...we attended Thursday night which cut traffic immensely, allowing us more time at each vendor. Thankfully we flew out early … MORE
The expo was pretty good, with a one way circle walk-a-bout…we attended Thursday night which cut traffic immensely, allowing us more time at each vendor. Thankfully we flew out early and did some hiking (manitou Incline) before the marathon to help with the altitude. The race itself seemed relatively flat…down Colfax Ave, through the Fire Station and Broncos stadium (not once but twice), along the river, and around a large park. I enjoyed running this one with a good friend and finally about mile 22 we got to shared a beer together on course that a spectator gave us. The medals were GREAT! Also the tshirt was a nice (wicking). The after party was also pretty good, with a free beer & a seltzer. Huge Huge PROPs to the Denver Police Department which did an absolutely wonderful job with an open course!!!
Great as always
Participated as a marathon relay runner for the postponed 15th anniversary. It was well organized and beautiful weather. They really thought of everything in terms of transportation and directions. MORE
Participated as a marathon relay runner for the postponed 15th anniversary. It was well organized and beautiful weather. They really thought of everything in terms of transportation and directions.
Nice Tour through Denver!
I only ran 22 miles intentionally. However, I liked the course, going through the Broncos stadium and through other points of interest. It was tough for me as I live … MORE
I only ran 22 miles intentionally. However, I liked the course, going through the Broncos stadium and through other points of interest. It was tough for me as I live at sea elevation, so 5k elevation with some inclines did make it notably harder than normal.
There were some places that were a little tight like the trail, but it did not impact me at all. I moved aside as the front runners were going past.
Water and Gatorade stations were frequent, gels only at 6&20 but I brought my own. I would say it had decent crowd support. Overall a fun weekend!
A Fun and Exciting Race
The aid stations were awesome with choices of gatorade and water. The most unique aspect of the race was the course that went through the Broncos stadium and many places … MORE
The aid stations were awesome with choices of gatorade and water. The most unique aspect of the race was the course that went through the Broncos stadium and many places in Denver. The race could be improved with more nutrition for the athletes or food choices.
Was Hoping For More
Thought this would be a fun race and a great time to visit some of my friends. The race was good, but my biggest problem was that the course was … MORE
Thought this would be a fun race and a great time to visit some of my friends.
The race was good, but my biggest problem was that the course was too tight at certain points. I ran into a few people around the stadium and by the river. If the races were better staggered or had different routes that would have been better. Not a lot of crowd support and a gloomy cold day. But at least it didn’t snow like the day after!
Nice, Big-City Marathon
Overall the race was very well organized and I would highly recommend it. You get to run through a working firehouse and the NFL Denver Bronco's stadium twice! The course … MORE
Overall the race was very well organized and I would highly recommend it. You get to run through a working firehouse and the NFL Denver Bronco’s stadium twice!
The course is not super difficult…a couple gradual inclines but nothing a little hill training fix. But be warned that the crowd support is limited. I wondered if many people in Denver even knew if the marathon was going on. This in no way matters to me…but is something to consider if that is a requirement of yours for a race.
However this is made up for the fact that they really reward you after the race with plenty of treats, and even provide FREE high-quality race photos a few days after the race.
I really go in-depth with the whole experience in my race report here: https://runningriddles.com/races/colfax-2019-marathon-in-denver-co/
Glad I ran it!
I was concerned as I had read some negative reviews but it was a fun race. I loved running through the fire station with high 5's from the firemen! The … MORE
I was concerned as I had read some negative reviews but it was a fun race. I loved running through the fire station with high 5’s from the firemen! The medal is pretty cool with a keychain that comes off.
Aide stations were all well stocked with Cliff gels 2x. Running through the Bronco’s stadium twice was cool too! Plenty of porta potties at the start and along the way.
We stayed at the Mariott and they shuttled us over to the start. All the logistics went very smoothly–this is my 27th marathon so I know the importance of logistics on race morning!
Lines were too long at the finish but apparently there was good food. I’m running the 50 states and was glad I chose Colfax for my Colorado Marathon!
Fun on Colfax
I have never ran an relay before and thought it would be a bit of a cluster, but it actually went very smoothly. Lots of fun spectators and the scenery … MORE
I have never ran an relay before and thought it would be a bit of a cluster, but it actually went very smoothly. Lots of fun spectators and the scenery was beautiful too. Fortunately I got to do Leg 2 around Sloan Lake which is always a pretty run. The finish line at City Park was crowded, but that was to be expected. I had an awesome time and would do it again!!!