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Contributed by: Erin Feese/YourHub.com on 5/20/2007

Some runners sprinted across it. Some jogged, walked or wheeled their way across. However they got there, the competitors of the second annual Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon on May 20 have the satisfaction of making it to the finish line, where they were greeted by name by an announcer and cheered on by hundreds of onlookers at Colorado Mills in Lakewood.

Lakewood residents had a fine showing at the marathon. Steve Krebs, of Lakewood, finished second overall in the full marathon, and Patty Rogers, also of Lakewood, finished sixth overall and was the winner of the women's marathon.

Runners who competed in the full marathon, which is 26.2 miles, began their journey at Aurora Sports Park at Colfax Avenue and Dunkirk Street. Relay teams also started here. Half-marathoners started their run at City Park in Denver. Participants in the race include Lakewood Mayor Steve Burkholder and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

The Colfax Marathon Partnership, Inc., is a Colorado non-profit corporation founded by the cities of Aurora, Denver and Lakewood. Its mission is to produce an annual high caliber running event (marathon, half marathon and 5-person team relay) that contributes to the redevelopment of the Colfax Avenue corridor and promotes health and fitness among youth and adults. All net proceeds from the event go to Colorado Kids, a charity dedicated to preventing obesity and promoting fitness for school aged children. The primary beneficiaries of these funds are the Aurora, Denver and JeffCo public school foundations.

Top Lakewood finishers in the full marathon

Name Time Overall Place

Steve Krebs 3:00:27.3 2

Patty Rogers 3:09:35.2 6 (winner of women's marathon)

Jon Kinner 3:15:36 10

David Rothenburger 3:24:15.1 17

John Lehman 3:37:17.3 35

For more YourHub.com Colfax marathon photos, click here.

Colfax Fun Facts

America's Main Street is a true Colorado native, filled with fun facts along its famous route. Here are just a few of the interesting pieces and places along Colfax Avenue.

More than 8,000 years ago, Native Americans were thought to make their first trek between the foothills and the plains on paths that would someday become West Colfax Avenue. By the mid 1800's, Ute Indians routinely used this route to bring trade goods to markets in Denver. (source: "History of West Colfax Avenue", Lakewood.org)

When Denver was founded in 1850, Colfax Avenue was originally called "Golden Road" as its 30-mile stretch connected miners hungry for the "motherlode" from the city to the Rockies. (sources: colfaxaveneu.com and "Denver's Road to Riches: Colfax Avenue", National Geographic, May 11, 2001)

It's named changed to "Colfax Avenue" in honor of Schuyler Colfax, Vice President of the United States under Ulysses S. Grant. (source: colfaxavenue.com)

When Colfax first became a major route into downtown Denver, Colfax was known as the address to have for the wealthy and elite class. (source: "Denver's Road to Riches: Colfax Avenue", National Geographic, May 11, 2001)

The Colfax-Larimer viaduct was completed in 1917. Built for both streetcars and automobiles, the viaduct was the longest concrete span of its kind in the world. (source: "History of West Colfax Avenue", Lakewood.org)

In 1935 and 1936, West Colfax Avenue was widened to become a link on one of the fast transcontinental highways, U.S. Route 40. The roadway improvements were performed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). (source: "History of West Colfax Avenue", Lakewood.org)

In the local street system, Colfax lies 15 blocks north of the zero meridian, and would otherwise be known as 15th Avenue. (source: Wikipedia)

Because of the dense, mixed-use character of development along Colfax, the Regional Transportation District bus route 15-East Colfax has the highest ridership in the RTD system. (source: Wikipedia)

The U.S. Mint, located on Colfax, turns out 40 million coins each day and has the largest gold collection outside of Fort Knox. (source: colfaxavenue.com)

Colfax Avenue is home to Denver's East High School whose esteemed graduates include Douglas Fairbanks, Judy Collins, Neal Cassady, Don Cheadle and Pam Grier. (source: colfaxavenue.com)

The 1978 film Every Which Way But Loose, featuring Clint Eastwood was partially filmed on Colfax, including the Royal Host Motel at 930 East Colfax. (source: colfaxavenue.com)

Sometime in the 1960s, The Satire Lounge (a staple of entertainment on Colfax for generations) featured an unknown scrawny kid living in the neighborhood who was reportedly "hissed" off the stage after playing some Woodie Guthrie music. The musicians name was Robert Zimmerman, who later renamed himself Bob Dylan after the poet Dylan Thomas. (source: colfaxavenue.com)

Later in the 1960s, The Satire Lounge marked the beginning for two famous comedians who performed there - Tommy and Dick Smothers, better known as The Smothers Brothers. The brothers lived in the only apartment above the Satire before reportedly moving onto San Francisco. (source: colfaxavenue.com)

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