USA: Bolder Boulder's Boldest - 25 Years of Racing Memories

Bolder Boulder's Boldest - 25 Years of Racing Memories

BOULDER, Colo. - (May 22, 2004) - 83 participants will run, jog and walk the Bolder Boulder for the 26th time this year. Known as Bolder Boulder's Boldest, or the BBB's, they have participated in every running of the Bolder Boulder since its inception in 1979.

The BBB's were founded at the 10th running of the Bolder Boulder in 1988 with 101 participants. Most are Colorado residents with the exception of seven BBB's who travel from Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Nebraska and California.

Each BBB has a different reason for loving the race and each has a special memory. BBB Terry Aragon recalls the 1988 race when he decided to run in homemade bee costume with big antennae. "As I tired during the race I had to kick it into a different gear because so many children would scream out 'look mom there's a bee running,'" explained Aragon. "I couldn't disappoint, I'd wave back and keep on trucking". Aragon has not worn a costume to the race since. "It caused me to really keep up a pace that just wore me down, but the kids on the sideline enjoyed it so much," said Aragon.

For Lane Earnest it was the 1991 Bolder Boulder. "My daughter went into labor with our first grandchild the night before the 1991 race. We wanted to stay for the birth, but it kept getting later and later," Earnest said. "After hours of anticipation the baby was finally born at 4:44 a.m., my wife and I ran home after the birth, got ready and ran the race." Earnest even created a sign that year stating he was the Bolder Boulder's newest grandfather.

Gary Heerdt's favorite memory was the 21st race when his daughter, who had just turned 7, had decided to run her first Bolder Boulder. They were going to "run" it together. When the race finally started Gary and his daughter ran together the whole first mile...all the time Heerdt was thinking what a good little runner she was!! Then it happened...someone from the crowd gave her a big lollipop! They proceeded to walk the next 5.2 miles while she licked her big lollipop the whole way! They had so much fun that first year, they have been running together ever since.

Drew Clark remembers running the first race when race officials were only able to close off major intersections on the racecourse. "Frustrated drivers found their own way through the course and at certain points cars and racers met," Clark stated. "No one was hurt and it was just a growing pain of a great race."

Stephanie McKay's favorite memory happened at the 2001 race. She hurt her hip a couple of months before the race. Thinking she would be well by race time, she decided not to change her time and wave. Unfortunately, a couple of days before the race, her doctor advised her not to run. It was too late to change waves, so she decided to walk with her 80-year-old mother in her mother's wave, which started an hour after Stephanie's scheduled start time. They walked together in 1 hour and 45 minutes, and since Stephanie started a full hour after her scheduled wave, her recorded race time ended up being around 2 hours and 45 minutes! She was the slowest person in her age group. The next year McKay ran the race in just under 1 hour, so she figures she had "most improved time" for 2002!

Greg Fickbohm remembers the "crunch" getting into Recht Field in the second Bolder Boulder, "As we approached the entrance to the track it was obvious the size of the opening wasn't going to accommodate the number of people trying to get in, so we all had to slow down and eventually come to a stop. I jogged in place for probably 15 seconds waiting for an opportunity to enter. Moving to Folsom stadium the next year was a great improvement!"

Although their numbers have dwindled, the 2004 BBB's have remained a hearty group of runners and have a strong competitive spirit.

"The 83 remaining BBB's are a great group of Bolder Boulder fans," said Nanette Schunk, Bolder Boulder Assistant Race Director and BBB coordinator. "Regardless of age or ability, they each have their own personal reasons why this race has become such a tradition. Their enthusiasm is contagious."

About Bolder Boulder The Celestial Seasonings Bolder Boulder 10K, a Running USA Founding Member, is the 3rd largest timed road race in the country and the 5th largest in the world. The race attracts up to 50,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, and draws professional racing teams from all over the world to compete for the largest non-marathon prize purse in road racing. The race starts at the north end of 30th Street in Boulder near the First National Bank of Colorado, winds through neighborhoods with live music and entertainment at every corner, and finishes in the University of Colorado's Folsom Field. More than 100,000 spectators watch the festivities from inside the stadium and along the course. Every year, the race makes donations to local charities that provide volunteers to help stage the race. Over the years, beneficiaries have included the Boulder Humane Society, Attention Homes, Younglife, Boulder Optimists, local schools, and church youth groups. The Bolder Boulder is proud to be partnered with the following primary sponsors: Celestial Seasonings, Frontier Airlines, Millennium Hotel, New Balance, Seagate Technology and CarFind USA.

The 26th Bolder Boulder will be held on Memorial Day, May 31, 2004. Visit the race website at: http://www.bolderboulder.com

source Running USA wire