10K Thursday: Bolder Boulder 10K

10K Thursday: Bolder Boulder 10K

This week’s 10K pick takes us to Boulder, Colorado, the home of one of the largest running races in America. This race sees over 50,000 runners each year and is so big that they have 90 starting waves for the race!

The Bolder Boulder 10K’s motto “Sea level is for sissies” – a sure way to get people to race to the registration button! Nothing draws runners to a race like a challenge and Boulder throws the challenge out there for any who wish to accept it.

The wave start begins with sub-38 minute runners heading out at 7AM and the rest of the 90 waves go out around 1 minute apart from each other until 9:30AM. That’s right – that means that approximately 57 of the waves will have already completed the race as the remaining waves begin their race. If you wish to be in the first 30 waves, you will need to qualify, but it is not necessary for any of the other waves.

This race does present a challenge in the elevation department. The lowest point is 5,275 feet and the highest is 5,391. If you are not used to running at that elevation, it will be a little bit of a shock to your system. If you do go to run it and do not have experience with the elevation, just take it a bit slower at the start. The good part is that the race itself is a “shorter” distance, it is not a marathon that would certainly take its toll on your body over the course of the race.

Here are some details about the Bolder Boulder 10K:

• Registration information here
• Located in Boulder, Colorado
• To be held on Monday, May 26, 2014
• Start time is 7AM
• Fee is $50 through May 11 for the Short Sleeve Package, $55 for the Long Sleeve Package, $65 for the Helly Hansen Performance Tee Package and $85 for all three
• 50,000 finishers
• Here is the course map

This race is on the must-do list of thousands of runners. It promises great energy and excitement as well as a challenge. What more could you ask for out of a Memorial Day race? Imagine entering Folsom Stadium with thousands of people cheering you on!

Getting There

Denver International Airport is about 45 minutes away from Boulder which makes it an excellent place to fly into. Denver is a large airport with many airlines flying there. United is the larger of the airlines with a presence there, but you can use any airline to reach it. Denver is the main hub of Frontier Airlines, so keep them in mind. If you are flying from Seattle (Alaska Airlines) or Los Angeles (American Airlines), you can fly non-stop on those airlines with 7,500 British Airways Avios. If you are flying non-stop from Phoenix on US Airways, it will only cost you 4,500 Avios one-way. For everyone else, expect to need 25,000 miles.

Staying There

With a race like this in a city like this, there is no end to available hotels, even with the tens of thousands coming into town for the race. Hilton has several hotels with excellent availability. SPG also has great availability at all eight of their area hotels, plus some excellent rates if you choose to pay cash. I saw some for $89 a night – not bad in a large city! Hyatt also has great availability at all of their hotels. Again, some of their hotels are cheap enough that it would be better to pay than to redeem ($80+). If you do plan on running, lock in a hotel now!

Summary

This is a race I would love to run. Someone here needs to go run it so you can tell me more about how it was. 🙂 Combine the challenge with the crowds, entertainment, and packed road of runners and you are guaranteed a great race!