Choice City Running Festival

The Choice City Running Festival is a race weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado, centered on two local events: the Jane Welzel Mountain Avenue Mile and the Human Race. The mile is a point-to-point, slightly downhill run on Mountain Avenue. The Human Race provides 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances starting at Civic Center Park. The schedule places the mile event first, followed by the longer road races the next morning, allowing participants to compete in one event or combine them over the weekend. The Mountain Avenue Mile uses waves for its starts rather than a single mass start. These waves include separate categories for Kids, Youth, Walk, Pushrim, Open, Masters, Elite Women, and Elite Men. The elite races offer cash prizes, while the Kids and Youth miles are free, broadening the event's appeal beyond a standard road mile. The Human Race is the festival's longest-standing component, now in its fifth decade, and the Mountain Avenue Mile has also been held for over twenty-five years.