I’ve seen Boulderthon advertised locally for a few years now, and have always been curious about it. I think the first year was on a trail, and since I am pretty clumsy on trails I skipped it. Last year was just out of the question. This year was also out of the question since after my egg retrieval and hysteroscopy there wasn’t much left in the budget for extra fall races. (Just finished my 7th round of IVF!)
I just happened to see an email or Instagram post about community bibs being offered, so we threw our names with high hopes. A few days later, they let us know that we were able to register for the race at no cost. They also upgraded us to VIP registrations, which included free race line parking, a pre-race tent stocked full of food and drink, as well as private porta potties. It also includes a post-race massage, and a fully stocked breakfast (sandwiches, snacks, drinks, water, etc). It was a fantastic experience. I felt very fortunate and moved by their generosity and hope to continue running this race in the future. Thanks again Boulderton team for the love!
Do you remember how races used to be? Packed start lines, high energy, live bands, corrals, cheer stations, etc? They still exist now in some form, but the community really comes out for the Boulderthon. After living here for a number of years, I’ve been surprised at the lack of longer distance races in what is known as a running mecca. Fall races tend to have cooler temps, but in Colorado the weather is really a toss up. You can see the foliage starting to change colors, but it was a very warm race indeed, especially towards the end of it.
The race course was well stocked, and there was plenty of bands and community support. However, there was not a lot of shade, so if you were one of the slow ones (like me) then you were really stuck out there in the baking sun. I didn’t reapply my sunscreen and got slightly crispy towards the end.
This race certainly does not disappoint, but I must caveat this for back-of-pack runners…there is a checkpoint you must get to before the cutoff, or your race will be diverted. This happened to me around mile 5, and it was extremely disappointing to have 1.5 miles shaved off of my race. I made up the distance after crossing the finish line because I am stubborn like that, and because 13.1 miles was in the training plan.
The post-race festivities were great. I especially loved the finishers tent. I’ve never finished fast enough to really enjoy such amenities, and it was really nice seeing it open for VIP runners of all paces. I also finally got to enjoy a post-race massage, which was sorely needed for my ankle.
Either way, I enjoyed the race so much that I pre-registered for next year. They are moving the race up to Labor Day, which is usually a pretty hot weekend. We’ll see how 2024 plays out.
Amara in Training 