The city’s ‘26.2 Mile Block Party’ Combines Entertainment with Revamped Race Route

Runners can expect a rockin’ tour to roll through Denver on October 17th as the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon & ½ Marathon will feature redesigned race route.  The course will feature several newly inspired sections of the race route, including more scenic tours of the parks and a loop past the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

“This new course should certainly result in faster times than the Denver marathon course of years past,” said Alan Culpepper, winner of 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon who recently joined the Competitor Group as an Operations Manager. “There are fewer turns and more straight paths. With the larger field we’ll also be implementing a wave start to alleviate bottlenecks and help runners hit their stride.”

Rookie runners and serious speedsters alike will appreciate the fine-tuned tweaks to the former Denver Marathon, with less turns, more straightaways and wider running lanes to allow for passing. The new course will still highlight many of the popular features of past years, including many of Denver’s major landmarks including the Denver Art Museum, the Pepsi Center, Union Station and Coors Field, Denver Zoo as well as City, Cheesman and Washington Parks.

The course has little to no elevation change and is certified by USA Track & Field as a Boston Marathon qualifier. Participants can expect more runner amenities that make for a better race experience, including additional port-o-potties, medical stations and water stations.

But the most noticeable difference in from years past will be the miles and miles of entertainment. Live local bands, decked out water stations and vivacious cheerleaders will provide quality entertainment along each mile of the course, motivating runners to the finish, where the real celebration begins at Civic Center Park.

The newly designed start and finish lines on Bannock Street allow for a spectacular culmination of festivities in Civic Center Park. Runners and spectators can partake in the community-wide celebration at the Finish Line Festival and enjoy a headliner act playing center stage at the amphitheater in the park.

“With more than 14,000 runners expected to participate this year, we wanted to invigorate the existing course with our signature Rock ‘n’ Roll sound and energy, while continuing to showcase Denver’s majestic Rocky Mountains and lush green parks,” said Shannon Davis, Event Manager. “We look forward to welcoming many of our loyal Denver runners and we encourage new runners to challenge themselves in this fantastic destination.”

Full course descriptions of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon & ½ Marathon, including turn-by-turn directions and course maps, are located at online at denver.competitor.com. Information regarding Kids Rock Denver presented by McDonald’s will be available soon. For more information, or to register please visit competitor.com or call 800-311-1255.

About Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver
A Competitor event, the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon & 1/2 Marathon and ING Rock ‘n’ Roll Relay will welcome more than 14,000 participants to Colorado on Sunday, October 17, 2010. Live bands and cheerleaders will entertain participants along every mile of the scenic course, which starts near the State Capitol in downtown Denver and travels past many of city’s major landmarks and parks. The race concludes with a finish line festival and headliner concert at Civic Center Park.

A two-day Health & Fitness Expo kicks off race weekend at the Colorado Convention Center on Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16. The free expo is open to the public and will feature the latest in running apparel and nutrition products.  Online registration for the event is open at http://denver.competitor.com.

Zen and the Art of the Easy Run

I took it out a bit too fast yesterday. Headed out at a pace that felt comfortable at first then progressively got faster. For all intents and purposes this became what Greg McMillan would call a Fast Finish run. A great workout to have in your training program. But this came the day after a 13 mile run, my longest single run, and my biggest mileage week to date since my foot injury in May. Later that night my legs were feeling tight and fatigued.

So today I needed to go easy. E-A-S-Y.

Going easy can be tough. I usually run by how I feel that day. Feeling good, as in yesterday, then go. Feeling not so good, take it for what its worth: a chance to be outside connecting with my surroundings. Strategies for running easy may include: running with a slower friend, being social, or paying close attention to your heart rate monitor.

In Denver where I work during the day, the options for smooth uninterrupted running routes are limited and they can become monotonous over time. So today I figured I would embrace the rest and find a new route. Nothing planned. Just get out and start running.

As I started from downtown, my legs took me in the path of least resistance. Traffic lights determined if I went straight or turned to keep moving. Within a few blocks I was headed towards Coors Field and had in mind I would head north towards the Highlands, but I got turned around when the sidewalk ended at a fence on the west side of the stadium. Instead of back-tracking, I continued around the south then east side of the stadium. Over railroad tracks, newly developed real estate, the South Platte bike path, towards the I-170 and I-25 on-ramps.

Recently I have been running with an iPhone and the iMapMyRun application. The 3.x version has a live map view and photo integration which suites my needs tremendously as I have always enjoyed snapping a few photos to capture the view, a particular moment, or perhaps “jog” my memory about that particular run.

After another mile or so, I looked at the app’s map view to get my bearings. I noticed Chaffee Park was just a few blocks away, so I headed in that direction. When I got there, I looked around for a acceptable photo opportunity.

I snapped a photo, then checked the map for my next “place of interest,” then off I went again, repeating until I circled back around into downtown.

Charting a new course allows you run in areas you might not normally visit, see new things, take in new details, tie back into the flow of running. So next time take a left, or even go straight and go a bit further than you had before. Become comfortable in discovering new territories – building on your confidence to challenge yourself.

If we open ourselves to the universe

On the way home I was listening to a Running Times podcast with Master’s runner and coach Pete Magill, (website: Younger Legs for Older Runners ) who points out the #1 thing masters runners do wrong is run(or any runner for that matter) is go too hard on their easy days, then are not fresh enough for their tough workouts. This mirrors the comment Jeff Galloway made at a recent in-store appearance about how he found it hard to run easy days with Kenyan runners because they went too slow (to start).

Ok guys, I am listening!

World Run Day November 8, 2009

Hundreds of runners in the USA have posted their running routes, charity beneficiaries, and private messages on runday.com, the event site for the International Day of Running held November 8th this year. Individual runners along with several groups across the USA will honor the sport of running in their own unique ways. All registered runners will receive a colorful World Run Day event t-shirt.

This year, World Run Day has over 1,100 separate registration sites for individual runners to post messages and relay other types of information about their November 8th run. Several groups have also formed ranging in size from 300 participants (Annapolis, MD) to 10 participants in Rochester, MI; Silver Springs, MD; Morristown, NJ; Los Angeles, CA. Volunteers from Fontana, CA are thrilled to celebrate with 50 runners!

“We are currently in the process of getting t-shirt orders fulfilled and communicating the event to a wide audience” said Bill McDermott, World Run Day’s Event Coordinator. Purchasing event shirts, downloading event tools, and other information is readily available with a click of a mouse at runday.com. The event has inspired runners to create a do-it-yourself run for their favorite charity.

Running groups wishing to become a part of the event can enter their World Run Day run locations onto the World Run Day on-line calendar, and can contact McDermott at runday2009@yahoo.com to organize a small World Run Day event in their city.

Follow on Twitter @worldRunDay