Colfax Marathon was marathon-plus

Times will be adjusted to reflect extra half mile

Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 25, 2007 at midnight

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Oops, sorry about that extra half mile!

The 446 runners who finished the second Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon on Sunday did more than just race, jog, walk or stumble 26.2 miles.

They actually finished 26.7 miles - more than a half mile farther than the Greek messenger Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens, which started the whole madness.

When you've already run 26 miles and are looking desperately for the finish line, when your feet are blistering, your skin chafing, and even your eyelids hurt, those last yards seemingly last forever.

This time, those final yards lasted even longer.

The mistake was another problem for the race, following a 44 percent drop in marathoners compared with last year and complaints about a dearth of toilets.

The extra yardage was in City Park, between miles 12 and 13, Executive Director Mike Collins, who took the blame for the mistake, said Thursday. Runners complained to officials after they noticed their times were slower between the two mile markers.

Although USA Track and Field certified the course's length, the runners were steered the wrong way in City Park. Coming down the Escalade, they should have turned left at Martin Luther King Boulevard, but were steered farther west to the Pavilion before making their left, Collins said.

The result: about a quarter mile in the wrong direction, and a quarter mile to get back on track.

Runner Chris DiCroce, 41, said, "I kept looking for the start line of the half-marathon (at mile 13), saying, 'Where is that thing! Shouldn't it be coming up?' "

At mile 14, he found himself several minutes off. "I was mad at myself for miscalculating, so I tried to push it after that. But it's hard for me to push it the second half of the race," DiCroce said.

He needed a time of 3 hours and 20 minutes for a man his age to qualify for the Boston Marathon, but finished about two minutes too late.

But wait!

Boston Marathon officials have agreed to accept adjusted times after USA Track and Field officials remeasure the course Monday to verify the mistake.

Half-marathoners weren't affected because they started at the halfway mark for the marathoners. Relay runners will have their times adjusted.

DiCroce, who expects about 4 minutes to be knocked off his time, said he'll sign up for Boston as soon as word is official.

"I'm totally stoked!" he said. And he said he loved the marathon anyway.

Collins said the mistake should have been caught, and he feels bad for any extra blisters. Everyone should get notice of lowered times in about two weeks. "There will be a lot of happy people."

scanlon@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-442-8729

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