Colorado Springs Marathon
Colorado Springs, United States · October · Independent
Why people love it
- Start and finish at the downtown Pioneers Museum, with Pikes Peak views.
- Greenway trail through Monument Valley Park, past the Olympic Training Center.
- Aid about every 3.2 km (2 mi) with water and Gatorade.
- Runners report free medal engraving, a shirt and finish-line pizza.
- Small field of about 300 marathoners.
Watch out for
- Altitude of 1,840 m (6,035 ft); sea-level runners struggled.
- Concrete, pea gravel and dirt trail shared with cyclists.
- Gain is unpublished; runners call it hilly with few flat spots.
- Small expo and thin crowds on the trail; some litter reported near the creek.
- Has sold out in recent years, so register early; Boston qualifier status is unconfirmed.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Tough
- Racer satisfactionLoved3.9
RaceRaves 4.1 from 14 ratings; MarathonGuide 3.5 from 2. Views, medal and volunteers are praised; litter by the creek and a small expo draw complaints. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.0
RaceRaves production 4.5. Easy packet pickup, clear communication and free engraving. One 2023 runner criticised the small expo and thin finish food. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.0
Altitude of 1,840 m (6,035 ft), a varied surface and an unknown cutoff. Aid is good but a small field leaves runners alone. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialAverage2.6
Altitude, gravel and dirt sections, rolling terrain and a shared path. A 2023 marathoner said there were next to no flat areas. · Low confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryBeautiful3.9
RaceRaves scenery 3.9. Pikes Peak views, the creekside Greenway and the Olympic training center; one runner disliked litter near the river. · Medium confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points3.2
Few intersections per one runner; half marathon crowds the early trail and a few reviewers describe it as crowded. · Low confidence
- Road surfaceMixed3.0
Concrete, hard-pack pea gravel, dirt and paved path. One runner found more trail than expected. · Medium confidence
- Road closuresPartly closed2.8
Runs on trails and shared bike paths, so no motor traffic, but not closed to the public; a runner noted bike path sharing. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessRolling3.0
One aggregator lists 230 m (755 ft) of gain; reviewers say hilly, gradual climbs on the way out. Treated as rolling. · Low confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Out-and-back from the same point, no net drop. · High confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSmooth4.0
Downtown start at the Pioneers Museum, quick packet pickup, gear check for bibs and shirts, no major queues reported. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingSome pace groups3.0
Timing mat at the turnaround was noted; pace groups not found. · Low confidence
- Crowd supportSparse2.2
About 300 marathoners per one runner and two reviewers felt almost alone at times; MarathonGuide runner noted a sparse finish crowd. · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsGood4.1
Aid stations about every 2 miles (3.2 km) with water and Gatorade, praised volunteers, free pizza at the finish. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.6
Creekside trail corridor; no wind complaints. · Low confidence
- Air temperaturePleasant3.7
Starts of 7 to 11 °C (45 to 51 °F); highs reach 19 to 31 °C (66 to 87 °F); one called it hot. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.3
Highs on five recent race days ranged from 19 °C (66 °F) to 31 °C (87 °F); fog hid the view in one year. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints3.2
Out-and-back from downtown gives a view at start and finish, but few spectators on the trail. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeHigh altitude1.4
About 1,840 m (6,035 ft), well above 1,500 m (4,900 ft); sea-level runners struggled. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood4.0
Colorado Springs has many downtown and Garden of the Gods hotels; race is small. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueGood3.5
Not researched; moderate prices in off-peak October. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.0
Start and finish at the Pioneers Museum in downtown, walkable from downtown hotels. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeOne connection3.4
COS has limited direct flights; DEN is about 130 km (80 mi) away. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSimple4.0
Quick packet pickup and no real expo; gear check provided. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGood4.2
Reviewers recommend a night or two to see the city and nearby attractions including the Olympic museum. · Medium confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inRegister early3.2
A source says the race sold out for several years; field is small so register early. · Low confidence
- Value for moneyGood value4.0
Fees reported at about $39 to $82 across distances; reviewers love the medal, free engraving, shirt and free pizza. · Medium confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Colorado Springs, El Paso County, United States
- Typical month
- October
- Latest or next date
- 2 October 2027
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 431 athletes
- First held
- 2014
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- out-and-back
- Climbing
- 230 m (755 ft)
- Descent
- 230 m (755 ft)
- Start time
- 07:00
- Surface
- Road, concrete path, hard-pack pea gravel, some dirt
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Yes
- Air temperature
- 7–22 °C (45–72 °F)
- Humidity
- Dry
- Altitude
- 1,840 m (6,040 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Colorado Springs (COS), 18 km (11 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Downtown Colorado Springs, Old North End
- Booking
- Downtown hotels are close to the Pioneers Museum start and finish.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRaves Colorado Springs MarathonRaced 2025 · aggregator · Positive
Rated 4.1 of 5 by 14 runners, difficulty 2.9, scenery 3.9, production 4.5, swag 4.0. Agree on well-run events, friendly volunteers, a nice medal and Pikes Peak views. Warnings: altitude for sea-level runners, more trail and gravel than expected, small expo, shared paths and some litter near the river.
“Absolutely breathtaking!”
- MarathonGuide Colorado Springs Marathon reviewsRaced 2023 · aggregator · Mixed
Two reviews averaging 3.5 of 5. One 2025/2026 runner gave 5.0, loving mountain views and finish atmosphere. A 2023 runner gave 2.0 for a small expo, missing promised perks and sparse finish food.
“Favorite Fall race, great course, incredible support”
- The Gazette preview of Colorado Springs MarathonRaced 2017 · article · Positive
2017 preview: start and finish at Acacia Park with 7:00 am marathon and half starts, route past Monument Valley Park and the Olympic Training Center, about 90% local entries, sales up 50% on 2016. Preview, not a runner review, and the course has changed.
“spots have the potential to sell out”
Raced Colorado Springs Marathon? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings. See how we rate.
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