This was my 1st full marathon so I only have this one race to grade. Expo was very organized with fantastic event staff. Felt a bit cramped though with what seemed like a lack of space. Packet pick-up was easy. Volunteer staff and race organizers were a major highlight. Very well organized IMO. As for the course, scenery continuously changed throughout the course. Loved the Broncos stadium and fire house run through. Everything from canal to lake to quaint neighborhoods kept it fun. The hill at mile 23-24 was a cruel joke (had to smile at that one!). The starting point at the 10-miler started to cramp available space on way back in but cleared up before mile 20. Beer tent area was crowded and slow, BBQ area was very wide open. Biggest issue would be the lack of parking and congestion before the race and getting out. Overall I loved this event and am looking forward to marathon #2.

Colfax 2012 provided a very good medium-sized marathon experience. Course has changed every year, so unsure if critique will soon be dated. Nice combination of city, creek/lake/park paths, and neighborhoods; highlight of twice through NFL team's stadium. While not flat, upgrades were front-loaded and a gentle decline from mi 15-21 can yield a negative split if run smartly. A cruel uphill between mi 23-24. Big mile/half-marathon markers on ground, but not all mile points had upright signs. Only parts of the course were shady sun/heat can be tough on 4+ hr finishers. Race web site informative, and expo at the NFL stadium provided lots of room and a handful of vendors. Did a good job of being appealing to the spectrum of runners (local charity fundraising options, start corrals, bonus for course record). OK post-race food/drink at the finish, but beer and BBQ available beyond it (which didn't appeal to me at 10 a.m.). Racers and staff friendly. Spectators were moderately thick, but too many were mute except for 'their' runner. Marathon relay and half-marathon start concurrently, but latter splits off after first mile. 10-mile race joins course at 13, then 17-finish... might be crowded in future if all races grow and share same course, particularly the narrower-path course sections.

Just ran Colfax Marathon for the 4th time yesterday. The course both last year and this year was great. This year it was extra special as we got to run through Sports Authority Field at Mile High - very cool. The organizers have really worked out the kinks in this race and it has become a great race. I ran the first ever back in 2006 when it was pretty much 26 miles on Colfax, uphill from Aurora to Golden - I swore I'd never run this race again after that...and I didn't until 2010 when I'd heard the course had changed. Since then they've modified the course slightly each year, I believe trying to find the best course possible, which for 2012, I believe they did. One thing I have to say is that I think this race has the BEST volunteers ever. They are out there at the crack of dawn preparing for a 6am start time. They stay all day. They greet the runners with a smile, even when we're too tired to smile back. They've never run out of water. Really, the volunteers in past years and of most forefront in my mind, this year, have been tremendous. Thank you volunteers! You make it all possible!!

I had a blast the weather was freezing at the start only 38 degrees but made for a nice cool run. Rain was intermittent and somewhat refreshing but I think that a lot of the spectators stayed home because of it. The ones that did make it out definitely made their presence known. There was a new course record set. As a first time marathoner I didnt know what to expect so any support given was great. I especially liked both times I crossed through the relay station at INVESCO field that they called out my name and bib number that gave me a huge boost. I will be doing it again next year. My only complaint is they did not have enough GU stations other than that traffic control was excellent. Expo was lacking vendors but still had a good time.

I am not sure how you justify not having mile markers. This race has several comments specifically noting how good the mile markers were in prior years, but this year they were random or missing. After the 4 mile, there was nothing until 8, then 10, 15, 20 and 25. The spectators were great, especially considering the weather. Volunteers were great, too.

I made a last-minute decision to run the Colfax Marathon with a friend who has run it since its inception. The expo at City Park was small but well organized. The race starts in City Park and winds its way onto Colfax Street. You run up Colfax, which is all uphill to the 13.1 mark. Then you turn around and take advantage of the mostly downhill run back downtown and finishing back at City Park. The volunteers were great. There were plenty of water stops with your choice of water or Gatorade. Spectators were small in number but very vocal - this is a relatively new race. Plenty of screaming fans at the finish. The after-race party was excellent, with beer, BBQ sandwiches, tacos and several different drinks and various snacks. The atmosphere at the park after the race was very festive and fun. While the first half of the course is challenging, it is the perfect course to run negative splits on. Just go out easy and plan on picking up the pace for the second half of the race.

Overall, the Colorado Colfax Marathon is a very nice, smaller marathon that will continue to grow. The Denver Airport was easy to get in and out of. Also, I stayed at the Doubletree Hotel on Quebec Street, which was only a 10-minute drive from City Park.

This was my 11th full marathon. Packet pick-up needs to be more organized, and a whole bunch more vendors need to invited or reached out to. Shirt was fine, and actually I was able to trade in my size for a better-fitting one. My name was correct on my bib, but I have heard over a dozen of complaints from other runners that theirs were not correct. Race course was fine. Good number of spectators for how small it was. Lots of aid stations. Great job from the volunteers and police.

The post-race party was okay, but please more beer and more BBQ. Some runners paid over a hundred bucks for the race, so you should at least try to do it up more. Music wasn't great, but the food was pretty good and there were lots of options.

Overall, for me personally it was a great time, and I liked everything; however, you aren't allowed to charge anything close to what Chicago, Boston, or NY until you get the numbers and bang of a big marathon.

Positives:
- Plenty of porta-johns
- Plenty of Water/Gatorade stations
- Finally, the return of the tech T
- Very cool medal
- Mile markers on the ground

Negatives:
- Very poor signage at the expo
- People working were giving conflicting directions or no directions as to how to complete your number/chip pickup/registration
- Again, the finishers are jammed into a claustrophobic funnel into an indoor area - and this seems to be a recurring issue
- All I wanted was a banana and a bagel after the run. But there were no bagels, and bananas were hard to find. No vegetarian options at the "barbecue."
- I was almost alone the entire race; there was lots of running room, until the last half-mile where the half marathoners and marathoners merged. I found myself dodging in and out and in between two-and-a-half-hour half marathoners. Not cool.
- The first 13 miles' entertainment consisted of passing by bands setting up and doing sound checks.
- Traffic control by Sloan Lake was horrible. I almost got hit by two cars with the assistance of a traffic guard. Thanks.
- Potholes everywhere
- The people of Denver, one of the greatest sports cities in the country, seemed to care less about this marathon

I ran the inaugural in 2006 and was incredibly impressed with the organization, the course, the public in the downtown area, and the novelty of running down the longest street in America point-to-point. It was destined to be one of the great marathons of America. What happened???

Looking forward to the Denver Rock 'n' Roll in October. It's got to be better.

For the cost, this marathon still needs some work. I liked the mile markers, but you never knew when water stations were going to be. There were many along Colfax, but few during the last six miles of the course. Same with port-a-potties on the race course. From mile 13 to 20, we were running in the first lane of the street, which was on a slight slant that was real hard on the feet. The first race results had me in second place for my age group but ended up in fifth place after timing problems were worked out. Runners not getting times on the course were added in the final posting. My friend finished close to the end and did not get a time because the finish line had been taken down. I don't know how many others met this fate. The medal was nice and they gave a nice white cotton shirt. This run was overpriced.

I have run the half here for three years straight. The expo is lame, the t-shirts are cotton (they ran out of smalls on Saturday even though that is what I selected when I paid my ridiculously high entrance fee) and the food leaves much to be desired. A cookie, a decent bagel, anything would have been better than going through a Safeway-sponsored food-line filled with granola bars and stale Safeway bagels. Also, as I went through the food line standing behind children who were taking bags of free stuff, I thought of the marathoners who take longer to finish and wondered if they would have any food left.

Positives: The bathrooms were set-up and there were plenty. The race started on time and was chipped. The last half of the half-marathon course is shaded and downhill sloping.

I'm not sure I'll ever run this again.