The Colfax Marathon Start and finish in Denver's City Park. Run through Empower Field at Mile High – 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
The Colfax Marathon was the 42nd largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 51st largest in 2022.
This year 3.2% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 4.3% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Colfax Marathon the 361st highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 327th highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 92.77 ranks it as the 422nd fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 6th fastest course in Colorado.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Colfax Marathon a PR Score of 92.77. This PR Score ranks it as the 416th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 6th fastest in Colorado.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Colfax Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 5533 feet (1686m) Min Elevation: 5172 feet (1576m)
This was my first marathon last year, and I loved it! Lots of energy from the crowds at basically all points throughout the marathon, fun views, and water breaks every 2 miles are super helpful. It can also connect to the RaceJoy app that gives updates about your estimated finish time every mile, and friends/family can send you little audio messages throughout the race if they can't see you in person. :)
Race Tips
I feel like this one is pretty flat despite the 600 ft of elevation gain. My training partner accomplished a near perfect even split, and I was able to negative split. Only hill I really noticed and that really sucked was on mile 23, but they had Team Milk cheering runners up the entire way. Don't go out too hot, don't weave around runners, and just have a blast!
