Frequently Asked Questions

Online registration for 2024 is open!

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The Colorado Marathon is an environmentally conscious event, thus, we will only have online registration in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of paper waste and other resources. Thank you for your support.

The Half Marathon start is located at the Half Marathon point for the Marathon. The Half Marathon start can ONLY be accessed by the buses provided by the race. Buses to the Half Marathon start leave from the Fort Collins Transportation Center at Mason and Laporte Streets. Free parking is available at the parking structure at the same intersection. NO access to the Half Marathon start is available through the Poudre Canyon. Any runners dropped off by cars accessing the Half Marathon start via the canyon highway will be disqualified.

The 10k will start and finish near Washington Park on N. Howes Street between Maple and LaPorte!

The 5K start is located 3.1 miles from the finish on the main marathon course and is only accessed by the event busses.

Please find more information on our Race Info page!

Please visit our Race Info page for information about race packet pickup and the health and fitness expo!

Note: An entrant may not transfer their entry to another person.

We have a strict NO REFUND, NO DEFERRAL and NO TRANSFER policy, no exceptions (injury/pregnant/called out of town unexpectedly/etc.). You are welcome to pick up your goody bag and race shirt, or have someone pick those items up for you if you are not running. Our registration provider does offer a registration protection coverage during sign-up.

It is against race policy to give your bib to someone else.

Running with someone else’s bib number is a safety and liability issue for race staff and medical personnel, unfair to those who didn’t get to sign up before registration closed, and alters race results, sometimes depriving a deserving award winner of their medal. Anyone running under an incorrect number will be disqualified from the race and may be banned from future Colorado Marathon events.

13.1 miles – 3:15 (9:45 am) at the half marathon point

Ted’s Place (~mile 17) – 4:15 (10:45 am)

Cache LaPoudre Middle School (~mile 21) – 5:15 (11:45 am)

No baby strollers or wheeled conveyances are allowed, except in the 10k.

For information on lodging, click here.

Numerous affiliated hotels offer special rates, and you can explore these hotels by visiting the lodging section of our website.

Stay on Highway 287 until you reach the left turn (to the west) for Highway 14 and the Poudre Canyon. This corner is, roughly, the 17 mile mark of the marathon. Proceed up the Canyon to both the Half Marathon start (at Gateway Park) and to the Marathon start (at Steven’s Gulch). If you look carefully, mile markers should be visible as painted numbers on the north side of the road. To return, retrace your route to the corner of Highways 287 and 14 (the 17 mile mark), and to see the rest of the course turn right (south) on Highway 287.

The course then follows Highway 287 to the intersection with County Road 54G, approximately 1.3 miles. Take a right (south) and follow the county road up and over the course’s only hill. Follow the road into the City of Laporte to Cache La Poudre Middle School. From this point it is approximately 5.5 miles to the finish line. The course follows the Poudre Poudre River Trail (running on the west and south side of the school, then southeast following the Cache La Poudre River) to Lee Martinez Park (mile 25) near downtown Fort Collins. The last 3/4 of a mile of the course leaves the bike path through the parking lot at Lee Martinez park and turns south on Sherwood St., then east on Maple St., north on Meldrum St., east on Cherry St. before turning south toward the finish line on Howes St. The finish line is adjacent to Washington Park.

The good news is that our course is VERY fast. The downhill will mitigate much of the altitude handicap and for most people there will be enough help left over to run a faster marathon than they might at low altitude. Everyone enjoys the scenery and we have yet to receive comments from low altitude runners where they tell us they were disappointed in coming. We hope you enter, run, and have a great time in Fort Collins. We’ll do our best to see that you do. That’s what our race is all about. If you do decide to come to “Fort Fun” and race in May, here are some suggestions on dealing with the altitude:

• Make sure you stay well hydrated through the entire event. Most of us know that drinking fluids during a long race is important, but at altitude it is VITAL. Drink plenty of replacement fluid before, during, and after the marathon. Drinking replacement fluid is better than plain water. On rare occasions people have “overdosed” on plain water. Replacement fluid has enough electrolytes to keep your body in balance and it’s safe to drink copious amounts. Our race offers water and replacement fluid on the course and there will be plenty at the finish and the starting lines.
• Be very conservative with anaerobic stress. Even living and training at 5,000 feet, we know that when we get into oxygen debt at higher altitudes, it’s really tough to get back out. You should be cautious about running any harder than what feels reasonably comfortable. That’s a pretty tough task if you’re running a mean uphill or racing closely with another person, but it’s very important. Our race is down hill and flat with one moderate hill at 17 miles (6 miles into the Half Marathon) so you won’t encounter any tough or nasty sections in either event.
• Be as fit and rested as you can be when you arrive. This may seem obvious as it’s good advice before any race, but in an altitude marathon it’s even more important. The best way to be prepared is to be well-rested and to have done lots of aerobic work and hill training. This, of course, includes a good diet and adequate sleep in the last few weeks before the race.
• Some people find it helpful to take an aspirin or two before bedtime. Sleeplessness is a common complaint of “flatlanders” at altitude and for those of us who aren’t aspirin sensitive it’s a good idea to take some before bedtime. Many people feel it’s an effective way of fighting the sleeplessness that accompanies a trip to higher altitude.
• Finally, have a conservative race plan. Run the downhill at a pace that’s easy, relaxed, and that you know you can match on the flatter parts of the course. The Poudre Canyon road offers very “runnable” downhill and by running it at a conservative pace you save your strength and energy for the last miles of the race… and that’s the real magic of the Colorado Marathon course.

Full marathon pace groups: 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00

Half marathon pace groups: 1:30, 1:40, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10, 2:20, 2:30

Marathon:

Top 5 Male/Female overall, Top 3 Male/Female Masters;

Top 3 in following age groups: 19 & under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70+

All Marathon finishers will receive a finisher medal and a collector’s finisher print.

Half Marathon:

Top 5 Male/Female overall, Top 3 Male/Female Masters;

Top 3 in following age groups: 19 & under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70+

All Half Marathon finishers will receive a finisher medal and a collector’s finisher print.

10k:

Top 3 Male/Female Overall and Top Master Male/Female;

Top 3 in following age groups: 19 & under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+

All 10k finishers will receive a collector’s finisher print.

5k:

Top 3 Male/Female Overall and Top Master Male/Female.

All 5k finishers will receive a collector’s finisher print.

If you are running the 10k or 5k, or if you opt-in and are running the full or half marathon, you will be given a Hydrapak Speedcup to carry with you during the race. The Speedcup is reusable and collapsable. You will carry it with you and use it at aid stations where volunteers will have special pitchers to fill it for you. Then, once you have consumed your liquids, you can collapse it and carry it or clip it to your shorts, sports bra or vest. Click here for more information on carrying your Hydrapak Speedcup!

Thank you for helping us protect our beautiful course and the Poudre River. Here is some more information on the impact of choosing cupless racing!

See packet pick-up and expo information on the Race Info page, and look for newsletters in your inbox with details about packet pickup and locations.

Please visit our Race Info page for all the details.

Please find aid station details on our Race Info page.

If you are already registered for a race you are allowed to switch to a different distance. For example, a marathoner is permitted to switch to the half marathon, 10K, or 5K. This difference in race fees is non-refundable.

The option to change your race distance is available by logging into your RunSignup account and changing to a different event. Here is a guide on how to switch within RunSignup. 

A $20 change fee will apply for all distance changes after February 15th.

Check out all the parking details on our Race Info page.

No spectators will be allowed to park at or near the intersection of 287 and 54G. Please plan to spectate from either Ted’s Place or the Cache La Poudre Middle School (descriptions below).

The 17-mile mark, Ted’s Place:

The corner of Highways 14 and 287 is an excellent location to see the race. From downtown Fort Collins, head north on College Avenue (this is also Highways 287 and 14). The road will turn west as it leaves Fort Collins. Follow it for about another mile until you come to the Highway 287 fork (it turns to the northwest in a gradual right turn). Stay on Highway 287 until you reach the left turn (to the west) for Highway 14 and the Poudre Canyon. This corner is, roughly, the 17 mile mark of the marathon. Limited parking is available on the northwest corner of the intersection. Please be cautious of the runners on the south side of the road.

The 21-mile mark, Cache La Poudre Middle School:

The course follows a fairly narrow road into the city of Laporte and it’s not recommended that spectators follow the course. However, easy access to the next spectator point can be found by following Highway 287 back toward Fort Collins (southeast). Look for County Road 21 (North Overland Trail Road) which forms an intersection with Highway 287 at the top of a hill. Turn right (south) and follow the county road into the city of Laporte.

Proceed to the traffic light, the intersection of County Road 21 and the race course, County Road 54G, and turn right. Go west through the city of Laporte. Travel about 400m and the school will be on the south side of the road (on your left). This same location can be reached directly from Fort Collins by heading north on College Avenue (this is also Highways 287 and 14). The road will turn west as it leaves Fort Collins. Stay on the road, heading west, until you reach the city of Laporte. The first traffic light you come to will be the intersection of County Road 21 and County Road 54G.

The 23-mile mark, the intersection of Taft Hill Road and the Poudre Trail:

From the city of Laporte, follow Highway 14 one mile east to its intersection with Taft Hill Road. This same intersection can be reached directly from Fort Collins by heading north on College Avenue (this is also Highways 287 and 14). The road will turn west as it leaves Fort Collins. Stay on the road, heading west, until you reach the intersection with Taft Hill Road (roughly 1.5 miles after you turn west on College Ave.)

Turn south on Taft Hill Road and continue for a little more than a mile, crossing over the Poudre River. Trail parking will be on the east side of Taft Hill Road. Please approach this trail intersection carefully as you can expect a lot of car traffic and pedestrian activity.

Near Old Town, Fort Collins, at the finish line:

The finish line will be located on Howes St. between Maple St. and Laporte Ave., adjacent to Washington Park. From the parking structure near the Half Marathon/5k bus loading area, walk west on Laporte St. one block and then a half block north on Howes St.