Watch teams race decorated coffins down the main street
The original coffin race, since 1995
An annual late-October street race in which five-person teams push decorated coffins down the main avenue of a small mountain town.
Why it's unique
This is the coffin race that the other coffin races copied. It began in 1995 and the ones now run elsewhere in the United States followed it, which makes the claim one of originality rather than exclusivity, and that is how it should be read.
It commemorates a real person. Emma Crawford came here in 1889 hoping the mineral springs would cure her tuberculosis, died in 1891 at 30, and asked to be buried on Red Mountain. In 1929, after years of heavy weather, her coffin came down the mountainside and was found by local children. Teams of four runners now push a fifth person dressed as Emma down Manitou Avenue.
Before you go
The costumes are the actual event. Spectators come for the coffins and the outfits rather than for the speed, and the teams treat it accordingly, so pick a spot with a view of the whole run rather than just the finish.
It draws about 10,000 people to a town of under 5,000. Arrive well before the start and do not expect to park anywhere near the course. If you want the background first, the Manitou Springs Heritage Center tells Emma Crawford's story properly and is a short walk from the route.