Make a Run For It: Welcome to Race Season – with Colfax Marathon

From the Colfax Marathon to a 1k wine walk, race season has sprung

On your mark, get set, race! It’s almost time for the largest running weekend in Colorado.

With seven events over the course of two days—May 14-15—the Colfax Marathon is Denver’s biggest race weekend. Events range from a 5K to a 26.2-mile marathon, and courses weave runners through Denver, showing off city landmarks including the Denver Zoo and Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Among the fastest-growing race categories of Denver’s only full marathon in 2016? Relays, says Laura Driscoll, race spokeswoman.

In 2015, 5,585 relay runners shared the marathon course, making up 1,117 teams, which puts the Colfax Marathon as one of the largest in the nation for relay teams. By comparison, there were 426 relay teams in 2009, and 960 in 2014, according to Driscoll. Relays consist of five legs—each ranging from 3.7 miles to 6.4 miles. “I think corporations are increasingly taking responsibility for health and wellness,” Driscoll says.

With that, more companies are rallying their employees to participate in the marathon relay—a win for fitness in the workplace. Kaiser Permanente, the race sponsor, has entered as many as 15 relay teams.

The race features 25 relay divisions, including health care, construction, education, accounting and law. Restaurants and breweries and military divisions are among the newest.

 

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