Great News about This Year's Bolder Boulder!

A week from this coming Monday, the Bolder Boulder 10K race kicks off in Colorado. Lord willing, this will be my second year in a row to participate in this amazing race. Contrary to convention, in this race the elite runners start after the rest of the field of "normal" runners. This means that when the elites are entering Folsom Stadium they are met by a cheering crowd of 50,000 runners who've already completed the race. I am SO happy to see that last year's champion Conner Mantz is returning to defend his title this year. In an epic battle for first place, Mantz rallied from fourth place with only a half mile to go to claim a victory time of 29:08. Afterwards the iconic Memorial Day tribute took place. For last year's event, here are my race reports -- in which you can hear me screaming my lungs out for Conner Mantz to win! 

Bolder Boulder 2023 Race Report

Just back from Boulder -- home of the University of Colorado, yoga, tattoo parlors, bike lanes, photo enforced speed limits (nobody speeds in Boulder), cannabis farms, spectacular scenery, and the world's largest 10K race. It's arguably the biggest two weekends in the Denver metro area, with the Colfax Marathon last weekend and the Boulder Bolder this weekend. Bolder Boulder is really doing a great job by finishing in Folsom Stadium at CU in front of all the other runners. In my opinion, this race ranks as one of the best you can ever experience. I give an A+ gold star to the race directors for great video coverage of the elite men's and women's races on the jumbotron. I loved the aerial shots. Remember, this is one of those odd races where the elites run AFTER the public later in the morning, starting at 11:00 and finishing about 30 minutes later before a crowd of 50,000 racers in the stadium who've already run. The elite field is an international one, including professional athletes from the US, Great Britain, Kenya, Tanzania, and many other nations. This year the men's race was a real thriller, with American Conner Mantz just beating out a Kenyan runner. At mile 5, Conner fell way behind and then, bam, he was right back in the game. I yelled myself hoarse when he entered the stadium and broke the tape. USA! USA! 

In case you didn't know, Boulder is a super fit city. It reminds me a lot of Raleigh in this regard. So it's not surprising that the city would host what I'm calling "The World's Greatest Block Party." The whole city shuts down for the runners, and there are crowds cheering you on literally every inch of the course. 

There are so many good, God things about my weekend that I know I won't be able to cover everything. Let's start with my Airbnb. It's that little house you see on the grass. 

(Kidding.) Actually, I stayed in a lovely country home only 6 miles from Boulder and about the same distance from a town called Lafayette. All the comforts of home at the fraction of the cost of a hotel downtown. I was up and at 'em early everyday and found an IHOP where I could grab some breakfast and spend some time in my Bible. 

All three mornings I ate there the place was completely empty except for yours truly. 

I told my server that you can't get a seat in an IHOP in Raleigh at 6:00 am, the place is so crowded. I'm chalking it up to the fact that the students have all left town for the summer. But with 50,000 people in town for the race, it was surprising nonetheless. 

As for outdoors activities, I was able to get to several places on my bucket list. You can't visit Boulder without hiking to Boulder Falls up in the mountains. 

It was flowing torrentially due to the spring melt. I also got in a 4 mile shakeout run at this park. 

It's at the foot of the Flatirons. Tourists often refer to the Flatirons as a mountain range, but locals call it a rock formation, and a very unique one at that. 

I'd climb them if I had the courage, but alas -- they are way beyond my skill level. Something to enjoy at a distance though. Finally, before heading back to the airport yesterday I drove south of Denver to snap a picture of the famous Red Rocks outdoor amphitheater. 

How I would enjoy watching a live concert here.

Did I mention the local cuisine? My teeth just about fell out when I discovered that Lafayette had -- of all things -- an Ethiopian restaurant. I dined here twice. 

Then, after the race on Monday, I had dinner at the local Nepalese restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious -- hot and spicy.

Now to the race itself. The first wave kicked off at 6:55 am. 

Man, these dudes were fast. The guy in the banana suit was really "peel-ling" out. This was my view as I waited in line for my wave to start.  A sea of humanity!

An hour and a half later we arrived at the start line.

We were all more than ready to release all our pent-up energy. Suddenly we were off. 

To say that the race was well organized would be a huge understatement. I counted at least 20 bands inspiring us runners to keep going. 

My biggest concern going into this 10K was how I would be affected by the elevation. 

Thankfully, however, my body didn't seem to notice in the slightest that it was running at an elevation of over a mile. I have my parents to thank for that since it's all a matter of genes. (Some really fit people can't handle elevation.) Finally, the moment we'd all been waiting for -- arriving at Folsom Stadium for a finish line experience that can only be compared to what I imagine finishing a race in ancient Greece must have felt like. (Heb. 21:1 -- "Since we have such a huge crowd of spectators watching us from the stands.") 

It was amazing. 

Final Thoughts: Running a race means different things to different people. I wanted to run a race I could be proud of. In the end, I finished in 20,446th place out of 50,000 runners. Just think. If I can improve by a mere 5,000 places each year, I could win this race in 4 years :-) 

Listen. I went running, and that was the main thing. To do so with 50,000 other people from all walks of life made it so much the better. Everywhere I went I had a chance to become acquainted with my fellow athletes and other people I met. When possible, I shared my testimony with them, as I did with the sweet owner of the Ethiopian restaurant and her niece. 

Let's face it. Running may be satisfying, but the only true satisfaction comes from walking with Jesus day after day after day. That said, I still enjoy running during my daily walk with the Lord. Running is hard but that's why we do it. I know my body pretty well. I know that if I didn't exercise I would probably sit on my front porch eating Doritos all day. Something physiologically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually satisfying starts to happen when you run. This transformation is so powerful that you can't wait for your next run. 

At mile 5 during the Bolder Boulder. 

Running (I hope) makes me a better person inside and out. Trying for new goals and meeting new faces will never get old. 

I can't conclude this post without a special thank you to the One who makes all this possible -- the One in whom we live and move and have our being. Nothing would be possible without his grace. THANK YOU. 

Bolder Boulder 2024 Race Report

How can I describe the Bolder Boulder? Simply to point out that it's the world's largest 10K race doesn't do it justice. So let me add:

• With 50,000 runners, it's the sixth largest race of any distance in the U.S.
• It puts on one of the best Memorial Day programs in the country.
• It attracts top national and even international talent in both its "citizens" and "pro" races.
• No city looks prettier than Boulder this time of the year.
• The weather is usually ideal (like it was yesterday).

I ran this race last year and was hoping to improve my 10K PR this weekend. I wasn't the only person running his legs off. Conner Mantz -- who will represent the U.S. this summer in the Olympic marathon in Paris -- returned to defend his title. Last year he won the race by only 4 seconds. This year he did it again, finishing in 29 minutes and 12 seconds to outlast Eritrea's Haileselassie by just 1.8 seconds. On the final hill on Folsom Street, Haileselassie took the lead, but as the race went into the downhill into Folsom Field, Mantz found a new gear and became the first repeat champion since Allan Kiprono of Kenya in 2012-13. 

In a post-race interview, Mantz said he got a huge boost from the crowd in Folsom Field. "The crowd was so loud and it was just fun to be in such a special environment," he said. This what those last few meters looked like from my seat in the stadium:

And the rest of us? A 10K race is not all that difficult. I've done maybe two dozen of them. Still, it requires patience. Bolder Boulder is difficult both because of its elevation (1 mile above sea level) and its vertical profile (it has 272 feet of vertical climbing). My goal was twofold: I wanted to PR, and I wanted to beat at least half of the other 71-year olds in the race. My wave stood in line for an hour and 10 minutes before the gun sounded for us to start. 

It took me about a mile to find a pace that was sustainable. Runners were yo-yo-ing in response to each other and the crowded course. I found strength and comfort knowing what I was capable of and not allowing the pace of others to influence my own. My fastest miles were my first and last. I remember thinking that I had very little left in the tank when I finally entered the stadium. This was my view:

Folsom Stadium is a fabulous finish location for a race. I held my own and with a final kick managed somehow to achieve a PR. It was only by 2 minutes, but I was happy to take it. I also finished 34th out of a total of 77 runners in the male/age 71 category. I loved seeing people at all levels pushing to what was outside their comfort zone. That's the beauty of running. There is a challenge and a goal for every single level.

A GREAT RACE it was. There were so many unforgettable moments during the post-race show. Here are two of them:

I think the 10K is my all-time favorite race distance, and the Bolder Boulder is my all-time favorite 10K. I'm already looking forward to next year's race. A shout out to the race organizers for putting on another outstanding event this year. Thanks also to my former student Andy who invited me to speak to his congregation on Sunday in Denver. I enjoyed that. But most of all: 

To the loved ones we lost, you are forever in our hearts and minds. Your service and your sacrifice to our country will never be forgotten. May all of us take inspiration each Memorial Day from the patriotism of the brave soldiers and first-responders who died for our great nation. THANK YOU. 

A Lasting Lesson from the Bolder Boulder 2024

In every race there are contestants and there are spectators. The Bolder Boulder is different. All 50,000 of us in the stands had run the race ourselves. 

We were both spectators and contestants. 

Hebrews would call us a "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1). The word "witnesses" refers to people who are able to talk about what they themselves have seen and heard. The point of Heb. 12:1 is that the heroes of faith in chapter 11 cheer us on, knowing full well from personal experience the kind of agony we are experiencing. We, the contestants, must now "run with perseverance the race set before us." Others can encourage us to persevere in the contest because they have completed the exact same race.

I love that! 

As I mentioned yesterday, after the race, winner Conner Mantz praised the crowd for the electricity it had added to his effort. But then he added this:

It's tough, though, like trying to kick and you're out of breath. It's tough to really enjoy the crowd 100% but I enjoyed it as much as I could.

My experience was similar. As a contestant in the race, I had little time to look around as I entered the stadium. 

I had to keep my eyes focused on the finish line and had to do so without distraction. In a similar vein, Hebrews encourages us to "keep our eyes on Jesus." Jesus mirrors the entire race from beginning to end and now waits with outstretched arms to welcome us at the finish line. Sure, we can draw encouragement from the crowd. But I can tell you from personal experience that focusing on others causes only spiritual weariness and discouragement. But looking at Jesus renews our strength and electrifies our courage. 

Let's look to him today, shall we? 

Go Conner!!!