2025 Denver Colfax Marathon to Welcome 25,000 Runners to the Mile High

May 14, 2025

DENVER, CO (May 14, 2025) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The countdown is on for the 19^th Denver Colfax Marathon, presented by Cigna Healthcare. The city’s largest running event of the year will take place May 16 -18, 2025, with 100,000 people expected in Denver throughout the race weekend. The event’s half marathon and marathon relay are sold out, with little capacity left in the full marathon, the urban 10 miler race and the family friendly 5K.

“This race weekend is a celebration of our Colorado community,” said Andrea Dowdy, CEO of the Denver Colfax Marathon. “We crafted each course to give runners the best that Denver has to offer. Each athlete has their own personal tour of the Mile High through their race, allowing them to create their own memories of our city along the way.”

As the largest marathon weekend in the 8-state Rocky Mountain Region, the Denver Colfax Marathon racecourses are known for their eye-catching scenic routes. Runners see Denver’s most popular landmarks in each race, while also experiencing once-in-lifetime opportunities: running alongside animals through the Denver Zoo, racing through a working fire station and finishing the last miles of their race in the Broncos Stadium.

The Denver Colfax Marathon race weekend features a distance for every level of runner. Saturday morning 5K kicks off the weekend of races and Sunday races include the marathon, marathon relay (four divisions), half marathon and urban 10 miler. The marathon relay event is now the largest marathon relay in the country.

Sunday races end in Denver’s ever popular City Park with a finish line festival that is expecting 50,000 people. Runners, family, and friends are invited to a lakeside party with a live local band, beer garden, and a grilled lunch.

Race weekend events are spread over three days and begin on Friday with the Cigna Denver Colfax Marathon Expo. The expo is on Friday and Saturday, and is expected to welcome 45,000 runners, family, friends, and the public. The expo features 100 vendors for guests to shop for new sports gear, Colfax-branded merchandise, receive health/wellness tips and receive free health screenings from Cigna Healthcare.

The marathon introduced a new prize program this year for elite runners living and training in Colorado. The Colorado Half Marathon Showdown will bring professional athletes to the local race weekend, vying for prize money in this specific race.

“Colorado has some of the best runners in the country,” said Patrick Rizzo, past Denver Colfax Marathon winner and current board member. “We are proud to offer our local runners the support and competitive opportunities that will continue to elevate our state locally and nationally.”

Qualifying Colorado athletes (men and women) who run the half marathon in the Denver Colfax Marathon race weekend will have the chance to compete for $22,560 in prizes: $5280 for first place, $3000 for second place, $2000 for third place and $1000 for fourth place. The marathon says this prize money celebrates the top local athletes and their dedication to training and living in Colorado.

“The marathon’s mission is to give back to our community,” said Andrea Dowdy, CEO of the Denver Colfax Marathon. “This year, we are incredibly proud to award $175,000 back to our community. We have a unique prize pool of $150,000 that our marathon relay teams can win for charity and the ‘Colorado Half Marathon Showdown’ takes our giving one step further with another $25,000 to support local athletes and their achievements.”

The Denver Colfax Marathon is a nonprofit (501c3) with a yearly goal of giving back to local charities through its unique prize pool. Partnering with 125 nonprofits, the marathon has one of the largest Charity Partner Programs in the country. Nonprofits keep all the money they raise through the marathon platform, and the marathon also awards money to local nonprofits every year. In the 2025 race weekend, more runners than ever before will be running to support a charity of their choice.

“Denver Colfax Marathon weekend is always an exciting time to be in Denver,” said Matthew Payne, Executive Director of the Denver Sports Commission. “Be it athletes participating in the various races, their friends and family supporting them on the course or community members at the expo and finish line festival, the whole city comes out to support Denver’s only marathon, on America’s longest main street. The route showcases some of the most beautiful sections of Denver; no wonder it’s on runner’s bucket lists. The fact that it also raises funds for local nonprofits is an added bonus for the whole region.”

Registration is still open for the Denver Colfax Marathon race weekend. The event will welcome 25,000 runners to Denver and is one of the top 25 marathon weekends in the country. To register for a race, visit www.runcolfax.org.