It’s no secret that one of Colorado’s claims to fame is the fact that it is located exactly one mile above sea level, sitting at 5280 feet in elevation.
Throughout all Denver sports, we see branding and marketing paying homage to the Mile High City.
The Rockies don a purple stripe around the seats at the top of their stadium, and the Broncos have 5280 in small lettering on the back of their helmets, and the Nuggets created a full 5280 patch in the center of their alternate jerseys.
Clearly this is something that is generally understood as an advantage for teams in Colorado, but is this is truly an advantage or is it just a facade that marketing teams across Colorado are leaning into?
Several athletes at UCCS testify that this is not simply something that teams around Colorado are falsely claiming, it is something that gives Colorado sports a huge advantage. In the opening game of their season, UCCS women’s basketball kicked off the year by hosting UT Dallas where they would take the lead early in the first quarter and hold on to it for the majority of the game. The Mountain Lions beat the Comets 88-83, and the altitude had a major role in the win according to women’s basketball sophomore guard Jayla Jackson-Allen said.
“I noticed how tired they [UT Dallas] got early on, and then with us having conditioning before that game, we had an advantage and we were able to take the lead early… seeing how I struggled in games early last year and seeing them come here, I thought ‘you guys are going through what I had to go through,’” Jackson-Allen said.
While men’s basketball did not host Midwestern State University this year, they hold an impressive 8-2 record at home this year, going a perfect 2-0 at home over out of conference opponents.
“I know a couple of the guys that play for midwestern, who we play every year. They came here last year, and I was talking to them after the game, and they’re like, bro I can’t breathe I’m so tired,” men’s basketball junior guard Xavier Martinez said.
It’s clear that for a sport with so much back-and-down the court action like basketball, out of state teams are at a disadvantage when they play here in Colorado Springs.
According to Martinez, the altitude can be problem for in-state teams too.
“When we go to Western Colorado, they have the highest gym in the country,” Martinez said, “It’s harder to keep that pace of play.”
Elijah Dafoe, a freshman track and field distance runner also spoke about the effects of altitude on in-state teams.
“A lot of RMAC teams are inside of Colorado, and when they come up here it’s a big adjustment for them, I think [Colorado Springs] is perfect. We are just high enough that we have an advantage on everyone but were not too high where it makes it really hard to do a lot of training,” Dafoe said.
UCCS hosted a meet on Feb. 14 at the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse where the track and field team collected four first place finishes in racing competitions, the most of any school at the meet that day.
It’s not only an advantage for Colorado teams to play opponents who are not acclimated due to shortness of breath.
“I feel way more in shape. When I go back to Texas, it’s definitely easier to play the full game, I’m not very tired,” said Jackson-Allen.
Training at altitude helps Colorado athletes feel more well-conditioned when they hit the road to face their opponents.
“My freshman year we played Cameron and Midwestern State, and we were just running up and down. Guys were getting mad because they were getting pulled out of the game, so it’s definitely an advantage,” Martinez said.
This is why Colorado Springs is home to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, with Colorado sending most Olympians to Italy to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics out of every state.
With this, when you look at the combined 45-14 record Broncos, Avalanche and Nuggets at home this season, it’s clear that the Mile High City holds a mile high advantage over everyone that steps into Denver.
Colorado Springs’ elevation is approximately 6,033 feet above sea level. Photo by U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum.