Taiwan sponsored the Colfax Marathon last weekend…Why?

Runners at last weekend’s Colfax Marathon crossed a finish line branded with “Taiwan”… But why?

The 26.2-mile foot race kicked off its 20th year on May 16-17. More than 25,000 runners made their way down the longest commercial street in the country to the tune of eight separate races between Denver and Lakewood.

While business was usual for the marathon, including the bevy of road closures around the area, racers were not met with the usual Cigna Healthcare logo on the 5k portion’s finish line ribbon. Instead, smack dab next to the event’s name, there was a logo displaying “Taiwan,” with “Waves of Wonder” underneath in smaller font.

In a press release, the Taiwan Tourism Administration claimed to have been the “first-ever title sponsor” of the 5k, meaning the government agency was the main financial backer of the event. The Denver Colfax Marathon’s website still listed Cigna Healthcare as the title sponsor of the entire weekend, though.

The administration also shared photos of the race’s finish line, featuring a grandstand display of its logo right next to the race’s name, with women wearing Taiwan shirts greeting runners as they crossed the line.

While the Denver Colfax Marathon nonprofit declined to tell Westword how much the Taiwanese agency paid to be the title sponsor of the 5k, it did mention that “Taiwan Tourism had people directly from Taiwan running in the race weekend and also runners from Taiwan that currently live in Colorado.”

Along with the logo, the agency took free photos of runners and had a booth at the pre-race expo, introducing attendees to “Taiwan’s unique travel experiences, including road races, cycling tours around Taiwan, marathons, Taiwan Pass travel packages, Taiwan High Speed Rail ‘Buy One Get One Free’ promotions, half-day transit tours and airport vouchers,” according to the agency’s press release.

“Our sponsors are the backbone of our race weekend,” says Andrea Dowdy, CEO of the Denver Colfax Marathon. “Their commitment and passion elevate the experience for every runner, volunteer and spectator. We are deeply grateful for their support as we celebrate 20 years of this historic race weekend in Denver.”

In an interesting display, the agency posted a photo on Facebook of runners wearing Taiwan-branded clothing at the marathon’s finish line. The agency did say in the post that the photo was an “AI-assisted illustration used for creative purposes.”

To be fair, Taiwan is considered the epicenter of the artificial intelligence boom, with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company creating around 90% of the world’s advanced microchips.

Taiwan in Colorado?

So, why exactly did “Taiwan Waves of Wonder” take center stage at the annual event?

“We believed this would be a meaningful way to connect with the Colorado community through shared interests that both Colorado and Taiwan value, including outdoor lifestyles, active living, family-friendly experiences and sports tourism,” Sylvia Lee, director of the Taiwan Tourism Administration Office in San Francisco, says.

Taiwan hosts more than 200 running events across the island every year, making the Colfax Marathon a prime place to promote tourism to the country, according to Lee. The office may seek to continue its partnership with the marathon going forward, she adds.

Taiwan’s history with Colorado has actually been fairly rich over the last decade.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver opened in 2015 after moving from Kansas City, acting as a consulate between Taiwan and six states in the Midwest region.

Airlines like EVA Air and United also offer flights to China and Taiwan from Denver International Airport.

Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera went on an “investment mission” to the country in 2024. This trip eventually led to Governor Jared Polis and the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Debby Huang, signing a Memorandum of Understanding on February 3 to increase “economic cooperation by pursuing common goals related to business expansion within each region, trade and investment activities and supply chain diversification,” according to the press release.

Around the same time, the Taiwan Tourism Administration unveiled its new “Waves of Wonder” global branding in 2024, popping up across the nation with similar sponsorships and tourist information promotion, such as sponsoring marathons in Vancouver and San Francisco.

Oh, and the country became the $4 trillion global market leader in AI in 2024, according to Yahoo! Finance.

Lee says the relationship between Colorado and Taiwan has grown recently due to the shared love of outdoor adventure and a “strong population of young professionals and active travelers.”

So, yes, Taiwan does have a relationship with the state, which may grow even larger after sponsoring one of the metro’s biggest events.