“Team Run CFC! Run!” Runs for a Cause at the 2022 Denver Colfax Marathon
“Team Run CFC! Run!” — think “Run Forrest! Run!” — was proud to represent CFC Construction at the 2022 Denver Colfax Marathon on May 15, 2022. Though the marathon took place only six months after the 2021 Denver Colfax Marathon (which had been delayed by the pandemic), the tireless team dusted off their running shoes and showed up to have fun while raising money for a great cause. Fortunately, the weather was perfect, the crowd support felt great, and the post-race beers in the park tasted truly exceptional.
Team captain Nicole Lopez, Tyler Kopecki, Shawn Burke, Sajid Faiz, and Nicole’s husband Chris (a last-minute substitute for a CFC runner who had to drop out due to surgery) each ran a leg of the race. Tyler kicked off the race, followed by Sajid, Chris, Nicole, and Shawn, who took the team over the finish line. Everyone on the team agreed that it felt incredible — especially post-COVID — to be cheered on by so many smiling faces, from neighbors on their lawns to first responders in their uniforms to the person in the inflatable dinosaur costume raising an ‘80s-style boombox to the skies. Says Nicole, “We had so much fun. It was absolutely amazing. I told the team, this is for fun — we don’t have to be competitive. Still, the whole team just blew me away. Tyler and Sajid in particular were rockstars.”
Billed by organizers as the “Ultimate Urban Tour of Denver,” the 26.2-mile course is famed for its array of sights and experiences. Runners start and finish in City Park; run through Empower Field at Mile High, Denver Fire Station #1, the Denver Zoo, and a range of residential neighborhoods; and run along seven miles of rivers, lakes, and bridges — all complete with views of the Rockies and a giant party waiting for them across the finish line.
CFC’s Colfax Marathon teams have raised money for several charities over the years, gathering donations from friends, families, coworkers, and subcontractors. For the past several years, the team has #runforacause for the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF). CTF is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to funding innovative research that will result in effective treatments for the millions of people suffering from neurofibromatosis (NF), a disease without a cure that affects 1 in every 3,000 births. (To learn more or donate, visit https://www.ctf.org/.)
Historically, Nicole and the rest of “Team Run CFC! Run!” have comprised a running club that meets up for weekly runs around Wash Park and elsewhere. While COVID put a damper on the running club’s activities, the team hopes to get the weekly runs going again and build excitement for next year’s marathon. Says Nicole, “In the past we’ve had CFC teams place 2nd and 3rd in the construction division. We’re hoping to get a team together next year who can place. Regardless, it’s just an amazing way to bring people together. Even if you’re not the greatest runner, you can run everything from 3.5 miles up to 6.5 miles. And there’s free beer in the park afterward! It’s really all about hanging out and having fun.”
CFC is a company that operates more like a family, and we believe in living our values everyday and in every way we can. Social responsibility is one of the guiding principles underpinning our core values. Learn more about the values that define who we are and how we work.