First, I'd like to state that I ran a painful and disappointing race.
The whole event was very corporate and they tried to up-sell every opportunity that they got. I had only run one rural marathon in the past, but I felt like a lost ant at the start. Nobody that worked the event knew where the gear check was and port-a-potties were packed 50 deep with half-marathoners that started later. I live in Denver and much of the route was through the parks, which was pretty mundane considering how fun training runs in the mountains can be.
It is very clear that the Denver community rallies behind the spring Colfax marathon & half-marathon. Everything is much more organized and a high level of collaboration with community partners makes the Colfax race special.