Aurora – Organizers of the Colorado Colfax Marathon are considering a course reversal for 2008 to attract more runners to the 2-year-old race.
Flipping the run, so that it starts in Lakewood and ends in Aurora, would do two things: attract more runners by eliminating the long, exhausting hill climb from downtown Denver to the current Lakewood finish, and make Aurora officials happy as folks at the new finish line spend money at city restaurants and hotels.
The potential tweaks come after the 2007 race saw at least 500 fewer runners than in its inaugural year, when about 5,000 people ran on Colfax Avenue.
No serious marathon runner wants to run uphill at the end and post their lowest personal time, said Jeff Young of the Heart of North Denver Running Club.
“Who in their right mind, as a good runner, would say they want to go to Denver and run their slowest marathon ever?” Young said. “You’re at elevation and have hills. There’s no rationale for it.”
Dave Walstrom, interim director for the marathon, said organizers are mulling several ideas to ensure the marathon will be a success for years.
Another option, he said, is to change the finish line so it doesn’t end on a steep hill. For the past two years, the race has ended at Colorado Mills mall on Golden Hill.
Turning the race around could pose some problems for runners who would face a blinding sun as they head west to east. However, the Boston Marathon, among others, runs the same direction.
Aurora officials don’t care about race times or sun glare. They want the trek to end in Aurora for economic purposes. A finish line at the new Anschutz Medical Campus, at the old Fitzsimons military base near East Colfax and Interstate 225, would be the perfect place to showcase the city, they said.
“Most of the economic benefits from a race occur at the finish line and not the starting line,” Aurora City Councilman Larry Beer said. “That’s where crowds gather, and there’s more spinoff benefits to local businesses and vendors.
“I think it would be good to have the marathon sometimes end in Aurora.”
Becky Clark, director of community planning for Lakewood, said there are discussions to possibly start the race in both Lakewood and Aurora, and maybe finish at City Park in Denver. But that would require doubling back somewhere on the course or veering off Colfax.
“In all fairness, Aurora has been gracious enough to start in the morning,” said Clark, who sits on the marathon committee. “All three cities are going to share in the benefits of the run; it’s not just what is best for the city of Lakewood. Certainly we understand trying to make the marathon work.”
Race organizers also plan to cut expenses by about 22 percent.
Whatever happens, runners like Young say something needs to be done to guarantee the race’s survival.
“I think it’s going to be tough to have a major marathon in Denver unless you put a lot of money on the line or flip it back the other way for faster times,” he said.
