DENVER — Beautifully decorated — albeit headless — mannequins are back for a ninth year at Denver Colfax Marathon.
Each year the Denver Colfax Marathon works with the Denver Arts Society and local artists for the Colfax Mannequin Art Display to involve Denver's art scene in the city’s only marathon.
Former District 8 Denver councilwoman Carla Madison had a vision to put mannequins outside of each Colfax storefront. It was this idea that sparked the inspiration for the project.
Although Madison lost her battle to colon cancer in 2011, her concept came to life two years later. The project started in 2013, and each year, more mannequins are added to the Colfax mannequin "family."
The Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) bus transported the blank mannequins in 2013 as RMCAD students took on the project in the first year, which made for quite the scene. Over the years, many artists have participated in the project.
In the early years of the marathon, runners would see the mannequins along the race route.
In 2023, all of the mannequins will be at the Denver Colfax Marathon Expo at Empower Field at Mile High to allow the public to take photos with the works of art.
The expo, on Friday, May 19, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., is where runners will pick up their race packets, bibs and shirts.
The 17th annual Denver Colfax Marathon weekend will be held Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21.
More than 20,000 runners are expected to participate in the Denver Colfax Marathon weekend which includes a marathon, half marathon, 10 miler, 5K and the nation’s largest marathon relay.
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