Weather - Sunny, warm
I hadn't run the Bolder Boulder in 8 years, and had literally no intention of running it again, after what I considered a less than stellar time when I was there last.
On the Thursday before the race, I managed to win a comp entry at run club. So there I was, running my second race of the weekend on Memorial Day.
Race Day
Maureen and Dulce were also running, so we planned to meet at the Broomfield Park n' Ride at 6:30 to get to the start line. The bus tickets were $9, but they were special "non stop" buses, so the price tag certainly seemed worth it. I was expecting it to take at least a half hour to get to the start and was pleasantly surprised when we arrived in only 20.
Since I had registered so late I still had to pick up my bib, which I was imaging was going to be a disaster. Again, I was pleased to find the tent to get my bib in a matter of minutes, and there not being a line. It was bizarre to be given my entire swag bag (with the exception of the shirt) at that time. No plans to run with a commemorative calendar! I was given a bracelet that would get me my shirt at the end.
Maureen and I went through the bathroom line and then got into our corral about 10 minutes before the gun went off. Unlike the last time I ran this race, I did NOT have to to run to get into the corral, nor was it crowded. We saw our friend Kara and her family in our same corral.
Maureen and I planned on starting together, and once I felt how sore my quads were from my trail race, I didn't mind keeping the pace down.
This race is HUGE. Like HUGE. The entire city of Boulder pretty much shuts down for this event. With 50,0000ish runners, just imagine the number of spectators and volunteers that were also out. The course had also changed since I ran it last and we started with some gently climbing. No walking unless we got to a "big" hill, an aid station, beer station or...
We decided to just have fun. Oskar Blues is the official beer for the race and there were quite a few places along the course that were handing out full cans! Having run with a full can of beer a time or two, I knew it would foam up quickly and to just take a few swigs and toss (wah!).
We stopped at the slip n' slide, did a cartwheel on course (for frat boys to take a shot), had donuts and most importantly - HAD FUN. Other than the terrible hill going into Folsom, I really found the last few miles of the course fun and fast. I haven't been very excited about this race in years past, but after just having fun with it this time, maybe I'll run it again. Maybe.
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| It's very cool watching people finish! |
Official time - 1:11:51
Official mile splits - 11:13, 12:06, 11:40, 11:45, 10:59, 11:29
Garmin time - 1:11:54
Garmin distance - 6.35 miles
Mile 1- 10:54
Mile 2 - 12:04
Mile 3 - 11:26
Mile 4 - 11:13
Mile 5 - 10:52
Mile 6 - 11:13
Mile 6.35 - 11:56
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