BolderBOULDER, one of America’s largest 10K events, announced that 49,701 walkers, joggers and runners registered for the 2017 race on Memorial Day and 45,574 of those crossed the finish line. The race also supports an additional 2,000 service men and women that participated in BolderBOULDER military satellite races around the world, but does not calculate these numbers into the overall total.
“We were told by many the uncertainty of race day weather and a major snow storm ten days before the race affected training and their decision to run,” said Race Director Cliff Bosley. “We were thrilled with the outcome of today’s race and couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
Aaron Pike of Savoy, Illinois won the Men’s elite Push Rim race with a time of 23:45.20 and Cheri Madsen of Union, Nebraska won the women’s race with a time of 29:16.20
The BolderBOULDER “A” wave started at 6:55 a.m. Barnabas Kosgei, 30 of Greensboro, North Carolina won the men’s citizen’s race even after he started late because of a trip to the restroom, costing him 15 seconds, finished with a time of 30:00.28. The top women’s finisher was Laruen Martin, 25 of Alamosa, Colorado with a time of 34:55.03.
Following the BolderBOULDER road race was the International Team Challenge. The BolderBOULDER established the International Team Challenge in 1998 and it includes professional runners from all over the world that compete on three-person teams in a team by country format, for one of the largest non-marathon prize purse races in the country. This year’s total prize purse is $177,500 including time bonuses, is one of the largest prize purses in race history.
This year’s men’s individual International Team Challenge was extremely exciting as Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay and Team USA Red’s Leonard Korir were neck and neck racing towards the finish. Ultimately, Geay got the first with a time of 29:02.19 and Korir came in second with 29:02.81.
The women’s race was also extremely competitive as Mamitu Daska and Ruti Aga came within a tenth of each other with times of 32:44.84 and 32:45.64 respectively. Team USA’s Natosha
Rogers of Littleton, Colorado came in third with an impressive time of 33.41.69.
The USA Red Men’s Team took home the first place in the team standings with second, third and eighth place finishes and the Women’s USA Team Red placed second behind Ethiopia.
Team USA Runner Neely Spence joked that in 2016 the women’s team took third and this year they took second, so next year for the 40th anniversary of the BolderBOULDER, they will surely take first.
The event finished with a tremendous Memorial Day Tribute at the University of Colorado Folsom Field with over 45,000 people in attendance. The ceremony started with a moving bugle rendition of the National Anthem, played by WWII veteran and Battle of the Bulge survivor Stewart Boone followed by a flyover from the Air Force National Guard with F-16s flown by Colonel Tim Conklin and Lieutenant Colonel Craig Wolf.
The program highlighted three veterans who all comforted those they served; WWII Nurse Leila Rose, Vietnam Medic and soon-to-be recipient of the Medal of Honor, Mike Rose and Chaplain Dave Smith who served overseas in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict.
Next, approximately 100 recruits from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force took their Oath of Enlistment and began their service to the nation. Colonel Gregory Staut, who is the Director of Logistics and Engineering for NORAD and United States Northern Command in Colorado Springs administered the oath.
The skydivers from Mile High Skydiving in Longmont, Colorado carried the flags of the five branches of the Armed Forces, the POW flag and the American Flag. Inspirational conclusion to a meaningful and patriotic Memorial Day.