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These roads will be closed for the Colfax Marathon

morgan whitley
·4 min read

DENVER (KDVR) — As runners of all ages and experiences lace up their shoes this weekend, those driving around Denver will want to look out for some major road closures.

The Colfax Marathon is back for its 18th year. Participants will either run a 5K, 10 miler, half marathon or marathon through Denver and Lakewood on Saturday and Sunday.

See the latest traffic conditions in Denver on FOX31

The Colfax Marathon is the largest marathon weekend in the Rocky Mountains, according to the event. In 2023, 21,000 runners participated. This means drivers will have to look out for racers and road closures.

These roads will remain open this weekend

According to the marathon, road closures will be in place between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. If you are traveling north and south this weekend, Interstate 25 is your best bet as the highway will remain open.

The east side of Colorado Boulevard and the west side of Kipling Street will remain open.

If you are traveling east and west, the roads of south Colfax will be open, as well as the east and west roads of 26th Avenue and above.

These roads will be closed

The road closures are on a rolling closing and opening schedule, meaning the road will only reopen when the last runner has passed.

Things to do: Colfax Marathon, outdoor market

Saturday, May 18

York Street will have a partial closure in the northbound curb lane from 21st Avenue to 17th Avenue and a partial closure in the westbound curb lane from 17th Avenue to Steele Street from 9–11:30 a.m.

The only race on Saturday morning is the 5K.

Sunday, May 19

  • Traffic on York between Colfax and 23rd will be closed from 5:45–8 a.m.

  • Traffic will be closed on 23rd Avenue between York and Colorado Boulevard between 5:45-8:15 a.m.

  • 17th Avenue from Detroit to York will be closed to vehicles from 6–10 a.m.

  • Westbound Colfax Avenue from Elizabeth Street (just south of East High School) to Speer Boulevard will be closed to vehicles from 5:45–10 a.m.

  • Westbound Colfax Avenue from I-25 to Garrison in Lakewood will be closed from 7– Noon.

  • Raleigh from westbound Colfax to W. 17th will be a full closure from 7 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Only official event vehicles and emergency vehicles will be allowed on Raleigh during this time.

  • The following streets will close at least one lane from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Lawrence Street from Speer to 17th Street, 17th Street to 17th Avenue, 17th Avenue to Vine Street.

  • Vine Street from 17th Avenue to 22nd Avenue will be closed to north and south vehicles from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

  • There will be a one-lane closure on 22nd from Vine Street to Gaylord Street.

  • Gaylord Street from 22nd to 21st Avenue will be closed from 7 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

During the races, you will not be able to cross the course. The course is in orange.

Light rail and bus delays

The race will also affect RTD bus and train services, especially those that run along and across Colfax Avenue.

D, H and L light rail will be affected Sunday only

  • D and H lines will not serve Colfax at Auraria Station through the downtown loop

  • D and H lines will continue to serve 10th-Osage Station and will detour to serve Auraria West Station, Empower Field at Mile High Station, Ball Arena-Elitch Gardens Station and Union Station

  • The L Line will not be in service, and customers are encouraged to use bus Route 43 as an alternative option

  • Customers looking to connect to downtown can take the Free MallRide to and from Union Station

  • No impacts to RTD rail service are expected to occur on Saturday, May 18

Impacted bus routes

  • May 18 only: Routes 20 and 24 will have a minor detour around the event, 9 a.m.-noon during the Colfax 5K race

  • May 19 only: The following bus routes will be temporarily detoured in many areas and will be allowed to cross the marathon route when possible: 0, 1, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 15L, 16, 19, 20, 24, 28, 30, 38, 43, 44, 48, 51, 52, 76, 83L

For more information on closures and detours, riders can use the RTD website to plan ahead.

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