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Colorado > Denver Marathon, Half Marathon & Relay
Denver,
CO
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Date
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Event
Details
Just over 5,900 runners came out to take part in all three races in the
fall 2008 running
of the Denver Marathon, Half Marathon & Marathon Relay, which
earned acclaim from both Runner's World magazine as one of its ten
"Marathons You Should Do in '08" and "Best Marathon for 2007" from
Colorado Runner magazine. At least part of the race's immediate
popularity – its inaugural running took place in 2006
– is the mostly long and flat course with plenty of downhill
stretches, and a route that winds through the city's many spacious
intown parks as well as the scenery off in the distance – on
a clear day, runners can see the snow-capped peaks of Colorado's Rocky
Mountains to the west.
From the starting line at Civic Center Park in downtown Denver, the
half-marathon course takes runners first in a northwest direction away
from the park, along West 13th Avenue, Bannock and 14th Streets on it
way toward the Pepsi Center, the home arena for the NBA's Denver
Nuggets and the NHL's Denver Avalanche. After the run past the arena,
the course next takes runners up Blake Street past Coors Field, where
Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies play every summer. Once
runners make the turn at the baseball stadium, they make two more turns
on Larimer and 17th Streets before the run through Skyline Park, a
popular open greenspace that often hosts weekday live music for the
thousands of people who work in the skyscrapers and urban buildings
within Denver's downtown business district.
The next section of the course takes runners on a long, flat
straightaway stretch for roughly the next two miles along East 17th
Avenue, on the way toward the race's next big attraction, the stretch
of the course that winds through Denver City Park. Its 330 acres of
wide-open greenspace make this the city's answer to New York's Central
Park, and are also home to the Denver Zoo and its Museum of Science and
Nature. This part of the course takes runners on a rather circuitous
two-mile route through the park, past Duck Lake and nearly all the way
around the larger City Park Lake, and features perhaps the longest and
most refreshing stretch of the course, bounded on all sides by open
grassy fields, trees and lakes with ducks, geese and other animals.
The final third of the race sees runners exiting the park back onto
East 17th and then turning south on Gilpin Street for the final park in
the race, as the course winds around High Street through Cheesman Park,
which is popular with local runners thanks to its crushed gravel paths,
rolling grassy hills and old-growth trees that provide plenty of shade
from the sun. Participants follow the park roads all the way around the
park and exit on East 13th Avenue, which they follow until they hit a
few more turns – onto Logan Street, East 9th Avenue and North
Lincoln – before running the home stretch to the finish line
back at Civic Center Park.
Also because of the race's location and connection to some of the
country's great beer brewing brands, runners have a chance to sample
many of its wares at the finish line along with plenty of food
(including hot dogs, past participants report). Those running the half
marathon must finish within the event's four-hour time limit, and
walkers are welcome to participate in the half – though not
in the full marathon, due to that race's six-hour time limit before the
Denver roads must be re-opened to automobile traffic.
Race
Weather & Climate
The early fall weeks bring cool-to-cold weather to the Denver area,
with October temperatures averaging between 36°F and
66°F. The area also sees an average of just under 1 inch of
precipitation during the month.
Fees
$70 if registered by May 31, 2009
$80 between June 1 - August 31
$90 between September 1 - October 14
$100 at the race expo
Registration
To sign up for the fall 2009 running of
Colorado's Denver Marathon & Half Marathon, register online at the event website.
Website
www.denvermarathon.com
Half
Marathon Course Map
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Your Race Story
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