Course Descriptions

Full Marathon

Start thru 5 Miles – This section is flat with some slight uphills. You will begin with all the 1st relay leg runners in the marathon, starting on the south side of the historic City Park Pavilion Building on the west side of the big City Park Ferril Lake. You will wind thru City Park then kick out at Esplanade and 17th Avenue crossing on the west side of East HS to Colfax at about the 1 Mile point and then onto East Colfax. At about the 2 Mile point (Harrison Street) you turn left (north) onto Harrison, cross 17th Avenue and reenter City Park, winding through City Park with the Museum of Nature and Science on your right shoulder and Ferril Lake on your left. You’ll pass the historic Elephant building on your right at the edge of the Denver Zoo, pass the Pavilion Building on your left shoulder and Duck (or “Alligator Lake”) on your right at 3 Miles. At this point you’ll rerun some of the 1st Mile of the course, pass the beautiful Thatcher Fountain again, cross 17th Avenue and pass East HS for the last time as you turn right (west) and with the rising sun at your back, start running on Colfax toward downtown Denver beginning at Mile 4 opposite the Tattered Cover Bookstore. This section also passes the Capitol, Civic Center Park, the Denver Newspaper Agency, and the Mint.

Miles 5 thru 10 – This section has comfortable downhill and flat areas before starting to climb toward Lakewood. Now you head up the overpass with Invesco Field on your right. Once past Federal, the road flattens some and is gradually uphill, getting most of the uphill portion behind you (about a 300 foot elevation change) by the time you reach the turnaround point on Colfax (just before Simms in Lakewood). You enter into Lakewood as you cross Sheridan, with the 10 mile mark quickly at Newland Street and more than half the gentle climb into Lakewood behind you!

Miles 10 thru 15 – This section has a gradual uphill through the 13 Mile point.  You hit the turnaround and now it’s a welcome downhill from Mile 13 to Mile 15!

Miles 15 thru 20 – This section is downhill and flat.  You leave Colfax and Lakewood behind after crossing into Denver at the 17 mile mark. A few blocks later, you turn left (north) onto Wolff Street, crossing 17th Avenue and enter the pathway around Sloan’s Lake. The cooling breezes off the lake are welcome! You’ll follow the border of Sloan’s Lake in a clockwise fashion using the pathway. Almost immediately you’ll pass Mile 19 where you exit onto 20th Ave. Continuing downhill, you’ll arrive at the 20 Mile point at the northwest corner of Invesco at Mile High!

Miles 20 to Finish – This section incorporates a little of everything…downhill, flat, uphill, and flat again – Down 20th with Invesco looming on your right to Clay Street. Turning left (north) onto Clay, you wind right onto 23rd, then over I-25 onto Water St. where you see Children’s Museum, the Aquarium and past the home of REI. Water turns into Platte St where you turn right onto 15th Street.15th takes you quickly to Wynkoop, where you turn left and pass the historic Union Station! Before you get close to Coors Field, you turn right onto 17th Street and journey through the canyons of the business district before turning a slight left as you cross Broadway taking 17th Avenue toward Denver’s City Park and your finish line! There is one more “wake-up call” for you as you push through a brief uphill near Lincoln and Grant. It’s a gentle uphill for another mile and then you turn left (north) at Gaylord, a quick right (east) at 23rd, cross York and as you head into the last mile and a half, you’re running in City Park, past Duck Lake and the Zoo for the last time, past the Museum of Nature and Science on your left shoulder and you’ll likely be able to see your finish line across Ferril Lake to the southwest! Round the corner with trees overhead and you’ll have completed 26.2 Miles!