Colfax Marathon - Race Reviews

This course has less elevation changes in it than many in CO. However, it's still at altitude so, unless you live at altitude, expect it to feel tougher and be slower than your usual time. Organization was good, but there are a lot of races going on consecutively, which I'm not a big fan of (in addition to full & half, there was a relay, a 10 miler, and a 10k all on the same morning/venue). At least they didn't start at the same time haha. There's a 5k the day before- maybe they could shift the 10k & 10 miler to Saturday?? The course is okay; the highlight is running through Mile High Stadium twice. Also runs through a fire station (interesting). Otherwise standard stuff on roadways mostly. Some music and some nice spectators, great volunteers of course. 48th race marathon or longer distance for me, I recommend this race to anyone doing states that doeesn't want to seriously beat themselves up. :)

Very well organized, from the start (with each corral having 90 seconds difference, which allow you to run confortable the first miles) to the end (very well separated from the half marathon arrival). Nice to run through the fire department station (with entusiastic firefighters cheering), and also through the Mile High stadium and the Arts and Design Academia. I liked the course, despite the lack of spectators in some parts. A little bit difficult to run with relayers in the narrow parts, as they go with different pace. Also with the 10 milers, that made a small 'bottle neck' when they join marathoners for the last part of the course. Great job from the volunteers and police. Nice expo at Mile High, and very good technical shirt, which is very comfortable to run with. I think that they should have timing at the 13.1 mark. I agree that time splits could be better.

The race-day coordination was extremely efficient. City Park is easy to access, the corrals and start sequence were the best I've encountered in 21 marathons and the water stops were well sequenced and staffed. For football fans, going to Mile High Stadium 3 times (once for registration and twice during the race) is awesome.

To start off the marathon is well run. Everything you would need to run it as well as possible is there. Plentiful porta-potties. More aid stations then you need, I skipped a few of them. Packet pickup was orderly. Plenty of post race goodness at the end. They have a bag drop off that I didn't use because of where I parked, more on that latter. And plenty of fellow runners so the course doesn't feel empty for us mid packers. So it was well run. Getting there was easier then I expected. I live in Denver surrounded by the half marathon course. The half goes it's own way till about the last quarter mile. So I was expecting complications finding parking. I got out early and found a parking spot at the far end of the Zoo parking lot that was about 100 feet from where the end of the corrals are. So that was nice. Also where they tell you could be dropped off there too. It's closer then where they tell you to be dropped off if someone is driving there. The course is not a pr course. It's not flat. It's has hills. And there is a steep one around mile 23. But the course is nice. Running down the street that Jack Kerouac made famous is interesting. Other highlights include Running though mile high, running through a fire station, Sloans Lake and the Dragons and the finish at my running home City Park. Spectators are spread out in pockets along the course so there was long stretches with no one. West Colfax was the least supported section. But as you got on to 17th ave headed back to the park things got better. The timing mat placement was weird. Most races put them every 5k and at halfway. In Colfax the seemed to be placed to correspond with the marathon relay so the splits in the results are not nice and even distances. The not half split was annoying. Overall it was a good race.

A disappointment overall. While there were definite pluses for the race, especially the excellent start/finish area in City Park, this race did not have the excitement of a big city marathon. I detected no buzz in the city prior to the race and there were few spectators until the finish area, which was very nice. I found the water stations to be poorly organized. There was no water until mile 4, even though there seemed to be a crew of volunteers at mile 2 with no water to give. The placement of the other stations seemed haphazard and the stations seemed to be understaffed. I found the port a potties on the course to be inadequate. Where there were toilets they were clumped together, but one had to run long distances to find them. Finally, the course was way too narrow in spots. There was a lot of running on bike paths without much room to move. Even as late as mile 16, I still had to adjust my pace because of the crowding on the course. This was especially bad near the Urban 10 start area. This race does not seem worthy to be called Denver's Marathon. Lots of great beer choices in the city. We especially liked Wynkoop Brewing and Station 26. If you go, enjoy the city but keep expectations for the race muted.

I was a bit concerned after reading reviews from last year but I need not have worried! The expo was smaller than with bigger marathons but good. We stayed at the Marriott cherry creek and had a nice shuttle to the race @5. The race started @6 so we had plenty of time for bag check-which was easy and smooth-and potty's. It was a bit hilly and the road was rough in patches but it was a great course circling a beautiful lake, running through the firehouse complete with high 5s from firefighters and a couple runs through the mile high stadium-which was a rubberized course and felt great on the legs. Cliff gels were served twice but you could take a coupe each time if needed. Water and Gatorade every 2 miles. Overall good race!

Not having run a bigger marathon in a while, I expected more. As a few people have noted, the 'packet' contains a bib/chip and your shirt. Period. This would be fine only the website does not give you much information either. At the expo, you had to run the gauntlet through the vendors with signs saying 'shortest way to your car' only at the end of the gauntlet, you were left on the other side of Mile High stadium. The race itself is very flat, but the bottlenecks are ridiculous for a race this size. Finally, they didn't have enough volunteers and someone needed to give them more training as several people kept stopping in front of runners while crossing over to hand out cups. I shouted to one elderly gentleman who was about to get knocked over by a runner too tired to suddenly veer around him. Also the volunteers were still setting up the second water stop when I came by (corral F). Denver is a great town, we had great weather, but the Colfax marathon left me disappointed. (This was my 40th state).

Course was a nice trip through Denver, weather was great. Limited spectator support along the course. The marathon field was decent size (about 1200) but the course felt very crowded in spots along the river and especially in finish chutes due to the large numbers of marathon relays and 10-milers who finish with the last 10 miles of the marathon. So if you like fresh runners zooming by every few miles and crowding the bottlenecks, this may be the race for you.

I've run this marathon for the past 6 years. It's my annual fun race! I've run a lot of marathons and this is the most well organized marathon, with tons of community support, thousands of charity dollars going to local charities, and a weekend long running celebration. I love everything about this race (and lots of distance options!).

As a Denver native, but one whose family moved away when I was still a kid, I was thrilled to come back to the city of by birth and run a marathon on my 50th birthday. A friend painted a shirt for me that said 'I'm 50 today! Born 5/17/65 in Denver'. Literally hundreds of fellow runners and spectators wished me 'Happy Birthday!' during the race. My wife and son had no problem finding me several times on the course by driving around using the runner tracking info and GPS. I had no problems seeing them either, thanks to the huge '50' mylar balloons they were holding. A few people thought that parts of the course were ugly, particularly Colfax Avenue, but I don't feel like every mile has to be postcard worthy. It is historic - you run right by the Colorado Capitol building. You also run right past Casa Bonita, which to me in the 1970s, was the next best thing to Disney World. Sadly, this once iconic Mexican restaurant featuring divers and live music is a pathetic shadow of its former self. You also get to run right through a Fire Station. That was cool. The run through Mile High Stadium was fun, and the part around Sloan Lake was very pleasant (and flat, accounting for the fastest 2 miles of my race.) Weather was spectacular, with a brilliant blue sky and the snow-covered Rockies in full view. Temps were probably low 40s at the start, and maybe upper 50s by the time I finished. Start and finish at City Park was perfect. A fair amount of traffic, but parking was available at the Denver Nature & Science Museum (also worth checking out), and along neighborhood side streets. Overall, an excellent race experience. I highly recommend it.

I've run the Colfax Marathon for the past 5 years (2012-16) and it is an annual favorite. The course is good and varied, the weather is usually quite good, the organization and support is impeccably, and this is one of the few non-profit marathons in the country and gives thousands of dollars to local charities. In the age of mega-business race orgs, I like to support races like this that focus on the community. I've run this for fun and I've BQed here. Just depends on the year and the purpose. This is now the only marathon in Denver, but it's been the best for many years.

I was excited about this race, but worried about the altitude (living at sea level) - but I did not need to have worried about the latter, as I could not tell any difference. The course was not nearly as scenic as the description - the park and lake areas were nice, running through the (empty) stadium was a plus, but most of it along Colfax is a pretty low-rent down-at-heel street with cheap motels, Dollar Stores etc. - nothing scenic at all. No complaints about the expo, except having to walk the gauntlet of every exhibitor to get out - but the race packet was sparse - no course map, and there is no start/finish area map in the packet, on line, or anywhere else, which makes it very confusing at the end of the race - I had to ask several people how to get out to the nearest road, and finding food, gear trucks etc. involved walking around in search - not want you want to do at the end of a marathon. My other 2 criticisms are: there are too many races at once, so it is confusing to get an idea of how fast you are running when you are accompanied by relay runners and 10-milers; and there is no mention of awards, prizes, or an awards ceremony anywhere (other than corporate relay etc.). I guess there are awards and perhaps there was a ceremony - but coming 2nd in my age group makes me think I may qualify for a certificate or something - but who knows? Oh, one big pat on the back - FREE full-size downloadable race photos! That's a very nice plus! And NO wait at all for portapotties at the start - that was a first for me!

A good course with a full, but not crowded, field. There were nearly 1,500 in the marathon plus 650 in the relay. The half-marathoners had a separate route and start time, so that kept potential route bottlenecks open. Aid stations were plentiful and well organized. Several music groups and other entertainment added to the festive atmosphere. Another bonus is being able to run through Mile High Stadium at Miles 6 and 20. Medals can displayed on a table like a miniature trophy; very impressive. Traffic in Denver can be challenging for those driving to meet a runner and the website didn't offer a map that listed the mile points. The postrace food featured a tasty barbecue. Otherwise, there wasn't much for treats. City Park is huge and makes for a good staging ground as well as place for friends and family to gather afterwards.

Organizers must have taken the 2013 criticisms to heart. I didn't experience any of those problems in 2014. The race was well organized, the medal awesome and the course challenging. In fact, more challenging than this Midwestern was prepared for, but I don't consider the course to be daunting. Running twice through Mile High Stadium and around Sloan's Lake were neat features. With 1,300+ in the marathon, there was always somebody to keep your eye on, including the gal in the 10-mile run that did a cartwheel during her run. The aid stations were plentiful and well manned. Gel was at Miles 6 & 20. Considering the size of the event (17,000 total runners) there wasn't much of a crowd, but how many do you expect to see at 6 a.m. Sunday morning? The early start was appreciated because it hit 78 by 10:30 a.m. I'm considering another try in 2015.

I ran the Marathon in 2012 and 2013, and I love this race. I think the Colfax Marathon is the best marathon in the area, much better than RnR. And the fact that I did early registration and only paid $69.95, makes it a great value as well. I like the small expo with free parking, and the shirts are pretty nice. The race start/finish in City Park is nice and convenient, its only 3.5mi from my house. I like that I get to eat my own food and sleep in my own bed the night before. The race is very well organized, and has become my Spring marathon of choice.

I would concur with comments on water stops, especially during the critical early miles. I had planned my energy gels around the water stations and filled my mouth with gel approaching the stadium, anticipating to be able to wash it down since water station at mile 2 was vacant. Alas, nothing! had to get to the lake nearly 2 miles later to get to a water station. This was frustrating and threw off my fueling/fluid intake plan early on. Very discouraging. Mile splits were very erratic (as measured by my Garmin which is thankfully very accurate). Overall marathon distance seemed correct, however. Finishline area - the only thing to drink was water and DIET Pepsi. No regular softdrinks available.

Trying to pick up 50 states, this one worked well with the timing of other races so I decided to run it. Echoing many of the comments already posted, the race had some nice features but many issues that need to be changed. The good: -Being from out of state, I liked the course, but that came more from being in Denver than it does the actual route. I did enjoy the run through the stadium and the firestation- very cool. I also enjoyed the stent at Sloan's Lake- very pretty and provided a nice breeze off the water. -I like the shirt- tech, gray, ladies got the VNeck. -The corral start for marathoners was efficient. I loved not having to battle for positioning and didn't have to pass walkers and made it to my corral very easily. -Plenty of portapotties prior to the race with a minimal wait. The bad: -Water stop organization was terrible. As previously stated, there was a dry run early in the race which included one hill in the sun and I received no water or aid until mile 7.5. The water station was set up....but nothing was there. Mentally and physically challenging, and messed with my head as I started worrying about water for the rest of the race. Unacceptable and not safe. I had the same sentiments as a prior commentor and just started taking water and aid whenever it was available because they were poorly spaced thereafter- 2 within a mile, and then none for the next three? Why? -The expo left much to be desired. The Run Colorado vendor had a lot of good merch, but otherwise it was very congested and didn't have much to offer when we went on Saturday. -Most of the portapotties on course were located at relay exchanges. Needed more on course for the marathoners, because every time I tried to go at a relay exchange the lines were enormous. -The turn back into the park prior to mile 26 was overwhelmingly congested. There were tons of spectators IN the corral as I turned at mile 26, crossing over to the other side. While I may not have had to physically stop for them, the last thing I want to worry about is someone crossing in front of me with a stroller when I'm coming in to finish a marathon. This needs immediate attention. -The marathon was expensive in comparison to other races and for the lack of aid and swag received. -Virtually NO spectators or fans except in the neighborhood halfway. For those that did come out to cheer, THANK YOU! -Running the race early on, you could see all of the mile marker signs for the return trip- for instance, at about mile 5, I was staring at a huge 'mile 22' sign. Perhaps make those one-sided if the course stays the same...a little bit daunting. -No chocolate milk after the race which is my personal favorite recovery drink. In fact, all I was offered was a bagel, a bottle of water and a warm can of soda.

Will not do this race again. The course itself was decent, if a little scattered. Overall, my negative comments about this race have to do primarily with (1) the general feeling that the RD and team catered primarily to the sponsors / vendors / exhibitors and not to the actual runners, and (2) some HUGE misses on race day. Expo felt like big brother. I've been to big race expos before, and I get that you tend to be herded like sheep, but this was over the top. I don't like to hang out at the expo - I want to get in, get my stuff, and get out. It was impossible at this expo. First, you could only take an elevator up to the expo area, which got jam packed. Second, once up there, the layout made absolutely no sense. You were forced to slog your way through every single vendor, etc. to get your stuff, instead of getting your stuff (all together at the beginning) and then choosing (like a big boy or girl) whether you wanted to spend time looking at the vendor's / sponsor's schwag (which I did not want to do). Bathrooms were nice and plentiful on race day. Good job there. There are a few things that you absolutely have to get right, and water / gatorade stops are one of them. The second water stop (around mile 2 or 3) did not have any water, gatorade, anything - just a bunch of volunteers standing around waiting for the water to arrive. THEN, the next water stop was not for at least 3'ish more miles, and that water stop had a line (literally, a line) of people, waiting to get water. You had to stop and wait in a line to get water. This is a piss poor way to run a marathon. Finally, the finish line was a nightmare. Too many different races finishing in one spot, way claustrophobic, hard to get water / food, and then they forced you to go through the exhibitors area, whether you wanted to or not. I was feeling awful by the end of the race, just wanted a drink and to lay in the grass, and one of the volunteers attempted to refuse to allow me to do so without going through the exhibitor tent area first. Seriously? I had to force my way past him to the grassy area. Again, total disregard for the runners in an apparent attempt to please the sponsors / exhibitors. There are way too many well-run races to waste my time coming back to this one next year, even though the start line is less than a mile from my house.

Yeah, unless you have friends begging you to do this, really, don't worry about missing it. Chronologically... the expo was a mess. Long line outside the stadium, and then, as others have posted, Only being able to take the elevator up to the 3rd floor? We're freakin runners here, we don't like lines, let us take the stairs. I picked up my tag and shirt at the expo and that was it. Overall pretty disappointing. Parking was fine on race day, nbd. Plenty of port-a-potties available, barely a wait 20min before the start. Corrals were good, nice and organized. The course was ok, a couple of really wonky, greater-than-90degree turns which were awkward. I didn't care for the fire station but the stadium was pretty cool. The neighborhood around mile 14 was really nice with shade and people coming out to cheer. The long gradual downhill on Colfax was nice too, if not a bit crowded. The bike path, both early and late, kinda stunk. It was narrow, and there were seemingly 9 races going on with people doing 5minute miles and 12minute miles and everything in between. The finish was a total disaster. There was a spur of about 50m in the final mile - really? And the race royally hosed up the water stops. At the second one, we got there before the water did. Cups, people, table...no water. Unreal. Then the next one was a good 3-4 miles away, including a couple of uphills, so it was a good 6ish mile stretch of no water. That's pretty poor. Then you'd go a couple of miles without one, which is fine, but then there would be 2 within a half mile of each other. Just bizarre. I ended up taking at every single one just out of fear of the next one being way far away. The volunteers were nice and plentiful. Then the finish line itself was horrid. The 'Urban 10-miler', the half-marathon, the marathon relay, and the marathoners all come in together. I ran a 3:21 marathon, which put me in with some slower relay teams, the 2:21 halfers, and I don't even know what time for the Urban 10ers. But it was PACKED when I came through, and that bites. Can the marathoners get their own finish? Or change start times so it's not so dense? The chute afterwards were totally crammed. People were complaining about being claustrophobic and having to get out of there. A dry bagel was the first thing offered to me. Mmmmm, dry bagels. Please. The 'expo' afterwards appeared ok, but I was tired and just wanted to split. All in all it appears to be yet another race that caters to the groups that bring in the most money, which is the halfers and in this case, the 10ers. Marathoners, the ones out there for the longest, are a complete afterthought.

I am glad I read the comments here before I ran this one and carried my own fluids, since one of the early water stops didn't have any water or gatorade resulting in a 5+ mile dry run. Otherwise I liked the course and I thought the start and finish line areas were set up well. There were plenty of porta-potties and I though the post race food was pretty good. As others have mentioned the expo venue was tiny and all I wanted to do was grab my stuff and get out of there because it was so overcrowded. The T-shirt was okay although I prefer shirts that are event-specific (this one listed all the events so I assume even the 5k runners got the same shirt, and it did not have the date of the race anywhere on it). I liked the medal (giant 26.2) and necklace/keychain attachment. I have to say my biggest concern about this race comes from the comments of the RD in a news article after the race. From the Denver Post, regarding the fact that the half martathon was short: 'This is a non-issue and is clearly meant to harm an otherwise important civic and community event.' In response to the runners critical of the length, Kelly said Sunday: 'If (the questioning runners) had been courteous enough to inquire about this while on site, it would have been a conversation with immediate review on the ground of course settings to satisfy (their) curiosity.' While this refers to the half rather than the full, I don't trust any race director that thinks charging runners $80 for a race that isn't accurate in distance is a 'non-issue'. If you are hosting a race that is advertised as being run on a certified course of a specific distance than not providing what was promised is certainly an issue. Overall I would say run it for fun, but I wouldn't try for a PR here because of the issues with fluids and the clear disregaurd for the importance of providing a certified course expressed by the RD.

Packet pickup was horrible (on third floor of stadium, elevator access only? Really?). Expo seemed totally geared to vendors, and giving them a captive audience in a tiny space. Maybe nice for people who like that sort of thing, but I much prefer picking up my packet at my local running store. Or somewhere I can walk in and out of. No interesting swag to speak of...every half and 10K I've done has been better. Got there at 4:50AM (for 6AM start), no problems with parking, easy walk to start. The course itself was reasonably nice, especially the run around Sloane's Lake. After 20+ years in Denver, first time I've been to the stadium (not counting the expo)...you can tell I'm a sports nut. Could have done without the bit at the far end of East Colfax, since it was the anti-scenic. Aid stations seemed sparse the last four miles, i.e., when I really needed them. The medal was laughably hideous. Might give a running gangsta some sort of street cred, but a mirror-finish massive 26.2? Really? Post race food, to be frank, sucked. The 'BBQ' lunch was dry and tasteless. Lukewarm water, Pepsi, dry bagels, and bananas. In the future, I'll bring a cooler with my own post race re-fueling. I'm pretty torn on whether I'll do this race again...my thinking is that, if I only do two marathons a year, there are probably much better choices.

+'s Nice course Neat medal Perfect weather (this time) Friendly aid stations* -'s I paid $130 and: Only 1 water stop for first 7.5 miles? (At stop #2 there were tables, cups, *friendly volunteers . . . but NO water or gatorade?) Poorly made t-shirt (fabric kind of bunches-up around seams - for this price, pls go with a good, reputable mfg) Only a bagel at the end (evidence there were bananas earlier) Personal comment - I believe they over-reacted with police support. There were scores of police on bikes in areas where there were essentially no spectators and a thin stream of runners. Most of the bike police just seemed to be visiting with each other.

What an awesome experience. This race is well executed and all details were handled. If you're looking to run a big city, lots of glitz, followed by a ticker tape parade kind of event then this is not your scene. If you're looking to rub elbows with down to Earth runners and get a terrific finishing time in the Mile High City, hurry and register for the Colorado Colfax Marathon.

II have participated in this marathon since the first year. After 6 years, they have worked out most of the problems and put on a much improved event. The course has a few hills to climb but they are not more than a block or 2 long. The run through a fire station with the firemen cheering and through the NFL stadium (twice) add to the fun. The pacers provided by the organizers stayed on pace and the race showed off the diversity of the city. I would have liked more spectators but this is not a major marathon and the spectators were mostly family and friends of the runners. I am looking forward to running this course again in 2013 as the race continues to mature.

I signed up for the Marathon late as I had been nursing an injury and wasn't sure I'd be able to make the run. Hence, I paid the full price of $120. $120 bucks to get on the course and I then have to shell out another 25 for a finisher shirt? Sure it's customized with my bib #, but can't it be an option for those who want to buy one? The website also advertised GU miles 10 and 20. I saw no such GU. I don't depend solely on them to provide it but when it's advertised shouldn't it be there? There were some very vocal spectators and I enjoyed them. But for the most part, however, the spectators and staff posted along the route were busier speaking to each other than actually observing the racers. I've also run the Waddell Marathon in Kansas City and the spectators and staff were vocal, encouraging and terribly fun. Just my observation. Nonetheless, the weather was beautiful, I did enjoy the run and will be back.

I enjoyed the race this weekend - I had heard the struggles from years past so happy that there have been improvements. Aide stations need to be consistently placed along the course - there were long stretches with no water and then water stations bunched too close together. Inconsistency was bothersome towards the end. Also, when are the chip times going to be posted. So far, I'm only seeing gun times.

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.

My 20th marathon and second time running the Colfax. Negatives: - $100... for what? The great t-shirt! Not. Give me a technical tee - something nice to run in. How about having all of the sizes available too? - I registered race-day for the full marathon. I had to wait 20 minutes for forms to print out, I didn't get a timing chip (ran out), didn't get right size of t-shirt, and got to wear a half-marathon bib number (ran out of full). - I paid $100 for what? - No running hats at the expo. - Horrible support/crowd. (Where were they)? - The half and full should be run on the same course; my sister ran the half, and it would have been nice to have our spectators be able to see us both. - They never posted my splits or time. (???) I love to run marathons. They get expensive. When you pay over $60 bucks, you better get what you pay for. Positives: - The course has improved. The last part, running through downtown with the buildings offering shade, was nice. - The 6 a.m. start is good, especially with the weather. I love that the marathon is so close to my house and would like to run it again. Please use all of these comments to improve next year!