The Colfax Marathon Goes Off-Course

"I hope next year we will be back on this section of Colfax," Walstrom told me. "It's such a wonderfully redeveloping part of Colfax. It's really Main Street."

The race may be back, but whether Walstrom will be is uncertain. He went on emergency leave this week, and his office says he won't return until after race day. But the Colfax Marathon continues.

From my perch on the Mezcal patio, I've watched families who live in old Denver squares and hipsters who live in new lofts come out to cheer on the runners, watched crowds in front of nearby cafes raise their coffee cups in salute, watched the clerk from the adult store across the street check on the runners' progress, watched the racers themselves absorb energy from this thriving stretch.

For such a straight street, the story of Colfax takes a lot of twists and turns.