Three Creeks Half Marathon
Race Date: Sunday April 5, 2026
Cherry Creek State Park — Denver, Colorado
Racing Underground brings you an amazing half marathon this spring! The Three Creeks Half Marathon features a half marathon course that is flat, fast and scenic!
Travel on foot through some of the most beautiful parts of Cherry Creek State Park, with a total combined elevation gain of only 291 feet spread out over 13.1 miles as the course follows the banks of Cherry Creek, Windmill Creek, and Cottonwood Creek on a mix of road, paved running trail, and wide dirt trails.
We hope to see you at the 13th annual Three Creeks Half this April!
Darrin, Jill,and the Racing Underground Crew
BACK IN 2026 - 2-person Half Marathon Relay!!! Each team member runs half of the course. The exchange zone is at the 6.5 mile aid station. A shuttle van will transport all runners who are running the second half of the course to the exchange zone and will drive all first half runners back to the start/finish line. All team members will receive a gender-specific race shirt, free race photo downloads, tasty quesadillas fresh off the griddle, and a finisher medal with the option to have the back engraved for free! Awards will be presented to the first place male, female, and co-ed teams. For planning purposes, the second half of the course has slightly more uphill than the first.
PARKING
Parking for runners and spectators will be done in the south lot of Cherry Creek High School. No race parking is allowed in Cherry Creek State Park. The start/finish line is located in the Hobie Hill parking lot. The walk from parking to the start line is approximately a half mile (10 minutes +/-)
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Schedule
6:15am - Packet Pickup & Race Day Registration Opens
7:15am - Early Start Wave for Runners Running 3+ hours
8:00am - Official Start Time
8:45am - Kids Race & Easter Bunny!
10:00am - Awards Presentation*
11:30am - Finish Line Closes
*An awards presentation will take place at 10:00am for the top-3 overall male and female finishers, all age group and nonbinary award winners who have finished, and relay team winners (male, female, and co-ed). Additional award presentations will continue throughout the morning.
Start Time and Cutoffs: The official race start time is 8:00am. There will also be an optional early start for runners who plan to take more than 3 hours to complete the course. The early start wave is for 3 hour+ runners only. Early start runners who finish faster than 2 hours 45 minutes will be disqualified. The early start wave is designed to enhance the finish line experience for later finishers. It is not intended to get faster runners home earlier in the day.
Placing for the top-3 overall male and female runners will be determined by gun time from the 8:00am start wave. All other runners will be placed by their net time - their time will start when they cross the start mat. Early start runners will be eligible for age group awards.
Pace Groups: Once again, we will offer pace groups led by expert pacers who will get you to your goal on time! Pace groups will have target times of: 1:40, 1:50, 2:00, 2:15, 2:30, 2:45, and 3:00. If you would like to join a pace group, simply look for the pacer with the sign corresponding to your goal time in the start corral, and line up with your group. All pace groups will start in the 8:00am wave.
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Course: Click Here to view the course map
The course follows an equal mix of wide and smooth dirt running trails, winding paved running paths, and paved roads through the most scenic sections of Cherry Creek State Park.Eight aid stations will be available approximately every 2 miles, stocked with water and Hammer Heed , as well as Hammer Gel which will be available at miles 6.5 and 10.
The course is as flat as it is scenic, with a total elevation gain of just 291 feet spread out over the 13.1 mile course. You will follow the banks of Cherry Creek, Windmill Creek, and Cottonwood Creek.
Toilets will be available at the start/finish and on course at approximately 0.75 miles, 2 miles, 7.5 miles, 8.5 miles, and 10.5 miles.
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Packet Pickup: We offer early packet pickup and race day packet pickup options.
Early Packet Pickup will be held at Runners Roost Lakewood on Friday April 3rd from noon until 6:30pm.
Race Day Packet Pickup will take place in the start/finish area at Hobie Hill starting at 6:15am. There will be a bag check located near the registration tent and the start/finish line. This will save you the need to walk back and forth to your car.
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To see your race photos for this year's event, just click the photo icon next to your name in the results.
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Awards: Cash Awards in the amount of $200, $150, and $100 will be presented to the top-3 overall male and female finishers. Top-3 overall will be determined by the gun time - the first three men and women to cross the finish line will win the prize money. Overall prize money winners will be removed from their respective age categories.
Age Group Awards will be determined by net (aka chip) time (your time starts when you cross the start line timing mat and ends when you cross the finish line timing mat). Awards will be presented to the top-3 finishers in the following categories: Ages 19 & under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, and 80+ as well as the top-3 overall non-binary finishers.
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Directions: Parking will take place at Cherry Creek High School, and we have rented the school's south lot for race parking. Participants may park in the south lot ONLY on race morning. No racer parking will be allowed inside the park or in any of the other high school parking lots. Cherry Creek High School will be hosting other events on race day, so please be sure to park in the South Lot Only. The SOUTH LOT is located off Yosemite street, a half mile north of Bellevue.
From I-25, take exit 199 (the Bellevue exit), then turn east on Bellevue. Drive one mile east on Bellevue, then turn left onto Yosemite. In approximately 0.5 miles you will turn right onto Campus Drive and follow signs to race parking.
From the parking lot, walk east and cross over Dayton Street. Turn left and follow the bike path south to the Cherry Creek State Park entrance. The start & finish line will be just down the hill on your left.
Bag-Check: There will be a bag check located near the registration tent and the start/finish line. This will save you the need to walk back and forth to your car.
Lodging: Here is some suggested lodging near Cherry Creek State Park.
La Quinta Denver Englewood Tech Center(3.2 miles to race parking)
La Quinta Denver Tech Center(3.7 miles to race parking)
Look for hotels in the Denver Tech Center on Expedia.com
Contact Us
Your entry into the Three Creeks Half includes a spot on the start line of Denver's most scenic spring half marathon, fast and accurate chip timing with live online split times at 2.5 miles, 6.5 miles, and 10 miles. Results will be posted live to the web, with athlete tracking for your fans!
FREE Race photo downloads will be available on Monday afternoon. Watch for the Photo Download Icon on the results page next to your name. Please wear your race number visibly on your front so you can be identified for photo tagging.
registration fees
Half Marathon
Price including online processing fees will be shown on the registration page.
Through Nov. 30: $65
Dec. 1 - Dec. 31: $70
Jan. 1 - Jan. 31: $75
Feb. 1 - Feb. 28: $80
Mar. 1 - Mar. 20: $85
Mar. 21 - Apr. 4: $95
Race Day: $100
(please register online before arriving)
2 Person Half Relay
each leg is 6.55 miles
Shuttle van to/from exchange location
Price including online processing fees will be shown on the registration page.
Through Dec. 31: 100
Jan. 1 - Feb. 28: 110
Mar. 1 - Mar. 20: $120
Mar. 21 - Apr. 4: $130
No Race-Day Registration for Relays
REFUND POLICY: We will make all efforts to hold the race, regardless of weather conditions, however we reserve the right to alter or shorten the course, or cancel the event in the case of extreme weather. Once accepted, refunds of entry fees will not be issued for any reason. Entrants may cancel their entry up to 60 days before the race and receive a 75% credit toward another Racing Underground owned event through 2027. Entrants may cancel their entry 59-30 days before the event and receive a 50% credit toward another Racing Underground owned event through 2027. No credit, refund, or transfer will be given for cancellations fewer than 30 days before the event. If the race is cancelled, all in-person entrants will be moved into the virtual category (shirts & medals will be mailed) and will receive a $20 credit which they may use for any Racing Underground owned event through 2027.