Denver Rock 'N' Roll Marathon To Play Its Last Tune

DENVER (CBS4) - On its 10th anniversary, the 26.2 mile Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Denver will be its last. Organizers said starting in 2016 they'll focus on the ½ marathon, 10K, and 5K distances.

"After several meetings with the City of Denver we are collectively focusing our resources on operating the premier half-marathon in the state of Colorado," said Alan Culpepper, former Olympic runner and Vice President of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series.

Runners can still register for the marathon this year as it will run as planned on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Culpepper said the City of Denver and race organizers made a collective agreement to not offer the full marathon after this year.

"In Denver proper, Colfax (marathon) will now be the only one," Culpepper said.

The marathon has been uphill to plan in recent years and it puts strain on traffic, residents and businesses in downtown Denver.

"The way Denver is set up, it's not really conducive to getting 26.2 miles starting and finishing in downtown," Culpepper added.

With the planning of the full marathon out of the picture, Culpepper said the focus can now be on making the half marathon and shorter races as good as they can be, attracting runners and tourists to Denver,

"A lot of people that may have been (here) but maybe never have run an event in Denver, this time of year is really appealing to a lot of folks."

LINK: Register for the Rock 'n' Roll Denver Marathon & ½

Mark Taylor is a weekend morning anchor and reporter with CBS4 news covering a wide variety of stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkTaylor_TV.