The California company that owns the Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon and dozens of other events across the country received some bad publicity last year when it . It reversed its decision after an outcry arose in the running community.
Now the Competitor Group has earned some more goodwill. It offered 300 complimentary entries into Sunday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon for runners who were entered in . The Boulder Marathon was to have been held Oct. 5.
And because the half marathon, in conjunction with the Boulder event, was designated the USA Track & Field Colorado half marathon championships, the Rock ‘n’ Roll event picked that up as well.
“That was just one more step in wanting to show our support for this running community and show our support for the higher-level athletes that are trying to push themselves at a higher level and compete against each other for that state championship,” said Competitor Group official Alan Culpepper, a former University of Colorado runner and two-time Olympian.
Granting free entries came with the cost of providing finishers medals and T-shirts. Competitor Group also increased prize money for the half marathon to $6,500 after it became the official state championship.
“We get it,” said Culpepper, who finished 12th at the 2004 Olympic marathon in Athens. “We know what it’s like when you’re two weeks out from a race, especially a longer event like a half or full marathon that you’ve really dedicated yourself to, and you’ve made commitments to, and your family has made sacrifices to allow you to train. To not be able to have an actual event to participate in, we understood what that was like.”
Culpepper and others with Competitor Group acknowledge last year’s decision to pull support from elite runners was a big mistake.
“That was a different direction and a different leadership,” he said. “We quickly figured out that we needed to make another alteration. Fortunately the enthusiasts recognized that we made a mistake and that we were quick to make the adjustment.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616, jmeyer@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnmeyer
Rock ‘n’ roll marathon
Start/finish: Civic Center
Estimated runners: 15,000 across all races
When: Sunday at 7:15 a.m.
Other races: 10K, 5K and relays
