File this one under: “Really, Colfax Marathon?”

Marathon officials this week admitted that this past Sunday’s half-marathon course was 176 yards short, which confirmed runners’ complaints about the route shortly after the race. In an interview with the Denver Post, race director Creigh Kelley said the last-minute closure of the barricade company that supplied marathon traffic barriers was at least partly to blame for the distance issue. Initially, Kelley said there weren’t inaccuracies with the route and added that the complaints were a “nonissue” that were “clearly meant to harm an otherwise important civic and community event.”

This isn’t the first time in the race’s seven-year history when distances have been off. Folks who have followed the marathon will remember the aftermath of the 2007 run when course certifiers discovered the marathon course was .513 of a mile too long. Race officials recalculated those results and the Boston Marathon agreed to adjust the qualifying times.

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