How to Race the Colfax Marathon Perfectly

Good marathon performances are all alike.  Every bad marathon performance is bad in its own way.   

You can file this away with your extended warranty paperwork; something you probably won’t need, but it’s there if you do.

Last week I ran the Colfax Marathon in 2:56:43.  It was a personal best and a nearly perfect race for me, so I think I have some street cred for what you are about to read.  If you follow my advice, you will be very happy with your results.

The first and most important thing you must do is determine the time (and pace) you are capable of running.  As Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.”  This time is not a time you dream you could do, but a time you are actually capable of running.  Here is where running tune-up races like the RMRR Spring MTS 20 Mile Race Series are very helpful. 

I plugged my times from the races I had run this year into the McMillan Running Race Calculator and came up with projected marathon times of 2:52, 2:56, 2:58 and 3:03.  I had done several Yasso 800 interval workouts at 2:56 (6:52 / mile) and set 2:56 as my goal. 

After studying the course profile I broke the marathon into four sections.  Here is a spreadsheet of those segments and my plan vs. actual pace per mile.

Segment	Plan Pace / Mile	Actual Pace / Mile
Five miles - the Start to Confluence Park	6:30	6:30
Ten miles - Confluence Park to 20th and Glen Dale Dr.	6:45	6:46
Six miles - Glen Dale Dr. to Confluence Park	6:30	6:25
Five miles - Confluence Park to the Finish	7:00	7:13

The first five miles – the easy downhill

It is never a good idea to go out fast in a marathon.  It is difficult to restrain yourself in the first five miles of this race, but you must or you will pay the price later.  My first mile split was 6:49.  You should plan to run these mostly downhill miles about five percent faster than your goal pace.

Miles six to fifteen – the long uphill slog

You should plan to run these ten miles at your marathon pace.  This section is a long climb with a few steep rises.  Embedded in this section is a diversion around Sloan’s Lake.  Use this respite from climbing as a chance to lock in on your pace.  I ran the four miles that include circling the lake in 6:40, 6:44, 6:46 and 6:45; right at my marathon pace.

Miles sixteen to twenty-one – the straight shot down Colfax

While you are feeling relatively strong, take advantage of the downhill slope and prevailing westerly breeze.  You should run this section about five percent faster than your marathon pace. 

As I made the turn onto Colfax I saw the orange flag of the bike escort for the first female runner (Nicole Cyr who broke her own course record) which was about ¼ mile in the distance.  It took me almost three miles to close the gap and it took some effort.  The Urban 10 Mile runners join the course at mile 17 creating a situation where I was dodging runners like Gale Sayers looking for 18 inches of daylight. 

When I got within ten yards of Nicole I had a clear straight path and I had to make a decision.  Should I slow down and enjoy the company of the escort or pass her?  I chose the latter.  The mile that I overtook Nicole was my slowest of that section.  Every few minutes I looked back to see how close she was.  Nicole is so petit I couldn’t see her, but I could see that orange flag which always seemed to be about twenty yards behind me. 

The last five miles – just hang on

You should plan to run this section about five to ten percent slower than your marathon pace.  The whole feeling of the race changes when you reach Confluence Park.  You have gone from running on black-top to a narrow cement path.  There were bicyclists in the way.  The temperature rose about ten degrees when we climbed the ramp to Denver proper.  There were fumes from the traffic.  It seemed hard to focus and looming ahead at 23.5 miles was the steep two block hill on 17^th Street. 

My approach to the hill was to lower my head and focus on a fast, short turnover.  I didn’t look up until I felt the road level out.  At that point there were two miles to go.  It seemed that about half of the Urban 10 Milers I passed cheered me on.  It was a wonderful feeling.  Once you re-enter the park there is about another mile of running.  The last ¼ mile is slightly uphill, but you hardly notice it because you are focused on the Finish. 

And that is how I suggest you run the Colfax Marathon.  Let me know if it helps you next year.