Best race to forget you are running

Sometimes it's nice to run a race in which the running plays second fiddle and you can just trot along and enjoy the sights -- like the Bolder Boulder would be if there weren't 40,000 other people trying to do the same thing. So instead go north, to the Colorado Run (September 2 this year), a five- or ten-kilometer run through Old Town Fort Collins. The route is crammed with entertainment, like the Jewels of the Nile belly dancers and Scottish bagpipers. Many observers simply blast music from their front lawns. The race ends at the oval at Colorado State University, so as you near the finish you feel like you're entering the Olympic Stadium. There, you can forget your pain by watching the Frisbee-jumping dogs and the live band. Best of all is the recovery food: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream hosts a booth.