Boulderthon Half Marathon

I didn't really need an excuse to go back to Colorado.

Boulderthon gave me one anyway.

I first ran the half marathon in 2025, before Race Across existed in its current form. I loved the race, Boulder, the mountains and the feeling of having an entire Colorado trip wrapped around 13.1 miles.

So in 2026, I came back.

This time, my mom and sister came with me. We had 9 days, a blue Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 3 pairs of my running shoes stuffed into the luggage, and a loose plan that stretched from Colorado Springs to Rocky Mountain National Park.

And, as I would discover around mile 8 of Boulderthon, I also arrived with slightly too much confidence in my ability to run hills at 5,000 feet.

Quick Take

Boulderthon is one of those races where the destination is every bit as compelling as the start line.

You get a well-produced race in Boulder, mountain scenery, a lively downtown finish area and easy access to Denver, Golden, Nederland, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. It's an excellent race to build a longer Colorado trip around.

The catch: this is not necessarily a PR course.

My 2026 half had roughly 442 feet of elevation gain, substantially more than I recorded when I ran Boulderthon the previous year. Add Boulder's elevation above 5,000 feet and an especially nasty climb around mile 8, and the second half can punish an aggressive start.

My verdict: travel for it. Just respect the course more than I did.

Boulderthon at a Glance

2025 vs. 2026

I also ran Boulderthon in 2025, finishing in 1:24:17.

I don't have a full Race Across guide from that trip because the site hadn't really taken shape yet, but racing the event twice gives me a useful point of comparison.

The 2026 race felt harder.

I recorded around 442 feet of climbing, compared with roughly 300 feet the year before, and the course had one climb in particular that completely changed my race.

I finished around two minutes slower in 2026.

Strangely, I may be prouder of the slower one.

More on that later.

What My Trip Cost

[BlockNote component: Trip Costs]

I traveled from September 19–28, turning Boulderthon into a nine-day Colorado trip rather than flying in solely for race weekend.

My major costs were roughly:

I registered for Boulderthon on October 15, 2025, for $130.

By the following summer, registration had become considerably more expensive. If Boulderthon is already on your calendar, I'd register early rather than treating it like a race you can casually sign up for a few weeks before traveling.

Who Should Run Boulderthon?

Run Boulderthon if you want the race to be part of the trip rather than the entire trip.

This is especially good for runners who like:

• Mountain destinations
• City + outdoor trips
• Running somewhere visually different
• Exploring before or after race day
• A course with some personality
• Turning a half marathon into an excuse to spend several days in Colorado

I'd be more cautious if your only goal is running the fastest possible half marathon.

Boulder isn't at extreme altitude, but if you live close to sea level, you will notice that you're not at home. And the hills matter.

The combination is what gets you.

The first few miles can feel deceptively manageable. Then the course starts asking for everything you borrowed from your future self.

Getting to Colorado

I flew nonstop from Washington National Airport (DCA) to Denver International Airport (DEN) on Frontier.

My outbound flight left DCA at 1:06 PM on Saturday, September 19, and arrived in Denver around 3 PM local time.

The scheduled journey was about 3 hours 51 minutes.

The return flight left Denver early Monday morning, September 28, and landed back at DCA around noon.

We paid roughly $250 round trip per person, including a carry-on, after comparing Frontier with United and American.

For three tickets, Frontier's Discount Den membership ended up making financial sense for us.

Do You Need a Rental Car?

[BlockNote component: Rental Car]

For the trip I planned?

Yes. Absolutely.

If you're staying in Boulder for a short race weekend, you could simplify things considerably.

We did not.

We wanted Colorado Springs, Denver, Golden, Red Rocks, Nederland, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

So after landing at DEN, we followed the signs to the rental-car shuttle and headed to Enterprise.

I'd reserved a Jeep Wrangler or similar.

Outside, there seemed to be an entire army of nearly identical white Wranglers waiting for us.

Then a blue Jeep Wrangler Rubicon appeared farther down the row.

I'd never driven a Jeep before.

Decision made.

It was excessive for driving to a half marathon.

It was excellent for driving around Colorado.

Where I Stayed

Colorado Springs

[BlockNote component: Stay — Travelodge by Wyndham Colorado Springs Airport / Peterson SFB]

We spent our first two nights at the Travelodge by Wyndham Colorado Springs Airport / Peterson SFB.

It did the job.

That is about as enthusiastically as I can recommend it.

The first room had a strange musty smell — somewhere in the unfortunate territory between old carpet and something an air freshener was desperately trying to conceal.

We asked to change rooms.

The replacement smelled better, although the sheets and pillows didn't look as clean as we wanted, so we asked the front desk for fresh linens and changed them ourselves.

No bedbugs appeared.

Victory.

Would I stay there again for the price if I needed a basic place for two nights?

Maybe.

Would it be my recommendation for a romantic Colorado getaway?

No.

Westminster

[BlockNote component: Stay — Westminster Airbnb]

On Monday we moved into a two-bedroom Airbnb in Westminster, which became our base for the rest of the trip.

Westminster was more useful than glamorous.

It sits between Denver and Boulder, which made it surprisingly practical for the kind of sprawling trip we were doing. We could head north toward Boulder, south toward Denver, west toward Golden and the foothills, and still have supermarkets and normal suburban conveniences nearby.

For Boulderthon alone, though, I think staying in Boulder would be better.

Being near Pearl Street would make the expo, official shakeout, dinner and race morning substantially easier.

Westminster worked because Boulderthon wasn't our whole vacation.

Colorado was.

A Week at Altitude

One advantage of arriving eight days before the race was that Boulderthon wasn't my first encounter with thin Colorado air.

I ran throughout the trip.

Not because I think you need to hammer out a miniature training camp during race week — you probably shouldn't — but because I love running in new places.

Colorado kept giving me places where I wanted to lace up.

Garden of the Gods

Our first full morning started at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

We arrived early, and I ran about 4.1 miles at roughly 7:30/mile through the park.

I was around 6,400 feet above sea level.

Coming from Northern Virginia, that's roughly a vertical mile more atmosphere missing than my lungs are accustomed to.

The pace looks normal on paper.

It did not feel normal.

Rolling hills plus altitude made those four miles substantially harder than the numbers suggested.

Still, if you're going to suffer through an acclimation run, there are worse places to do it than beneath giant red sandstone formations with the Colorado sky overhead.

The gods apparently smiled upon my cardiovascular system.

Eventually.

[Gallery: Garden of the Gods]

Manitou Springs & Pikes Peak

After the run, we headed into Manitou Springs for lunch.

I ended up with a braised pork belly bowl at Manitou Thai & Ramen and, because Colorado exploration apparently requires frequent dessert stops, we followed it with ice cream.

Later we drove toward Crystal Creek Reservoir.

The reservoir became one of those places where the trip suddenly looked exactly like the Colorado brochure I had imagined — mountains, water and enough dramatic scenery to make posing for photos feel completely reasonable.

[Gallery: Crystal Creek Reservoir]

From there, we continued toward Pikes Peak.

There was a race happening in the area that weekend, so I'd wondered whether the highway would be accessible, but we were still able to drive up.

It was a good first reminder of something that would repeat all week:

Distances in Colorado can look small on a map.

Then a mountain gets involved.

North Cheyenne Cañon

Monday was partly a workday for me.

After finishing work, we went to North Cheyenne Cañon Park and did some lighter hiking, including part of the Silver Cascade Falls area and another trail nearby.

This was much closer to the kind of pre-race sightseeing I'd recommend.

Walk.

See something beautiful.

Don't turn every day into an endurance event just because the Rockies are sitting outside daring you.

Ralston Creek Trail

Tuesday morning, I went running with my mom and sister on Ralston Creek Trail.

I covered a 10K.

They ran a little less.

It was another useful taste of running around a mile above sea level, although at this point Colorado's altitude was beginning to feel less alien than it had during that first Garden of the Gods run.

That didn't mean I had magically acclimated.

It just meant my lungs had stopped acting surprised.

Red Rocks: Excellent Venue, Questionable Taper

That evening, my sister had found a Foster the People concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

So naturally, five days before racing a half marathon at altitude, I spent several hours climbing around Red Rocks.

Excellent tapering.

The opening act was The Beaches, whom I enjoyed more than I expected. Foster the People were good too, although eventually I wandered around the venue, climbed more stairs and explored.

The problem was the smoke.

There was enough cigarette, vape and possibly marijuana smoke around us that the air became genuinely unpleasant to breathe. After hours of it, my lungs felt irritated.

Then the rain arrived.

By the end of the night I was wandering Red Rocks in a soaked T-shirt while September quite literally ended around me.

Wake me up when September ends, indeed.

Memorable night?

Yes.

Something I would intentionally schedule five days before Boulderthon again?

Probably not.

Lake Arbor

The morning after Red Rocks, I went for an easy four-mile run at Lake Arbor Park.

There was nothing spectacular about the workout.

That was the point.

After several hours of secondhand smoke the night before, I mainly wanted easy miles and fresh air.

Golden & Clear Creek

That evening we drove into Golden.

Near sunset, we stopped at Clear Creek Canyon, where I ran about a mile and then walked with my family.

Golden is one of those places I'd like to return to when I'm not squeezing it between work, race preparation and the setting sun.

The canyon, creek and town all felt close enough together that it would be easy to spend an entire afternoon there.

We finished with dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Golden.

Sloan's Lake

This became one of my favorite runs of the trip.

I started around 6:30 AM, before sunrise, and ran 7.07 miles around Sloan's Lake.

Somewhere along the way, Denver began waking up across the water.

Then the mountains started catching the morning light.

And somehow, mile seven clicked off at exactly 7:07/mile.

Coincidence?

Presumably.

But Colorado was starting to feel a little too cinematic for coincidences.

The run itself wasn't effortless. I was still at altitude, and I was carrying a decent amount of training into race week.

But I loved the setting.

Water.

Skyline.

Mountains.

Runners passing in both directions.

At one point, a woman absolutely flew past me while I was already running under seven-minute pace.

I briefly considered responding.

My legs voted no.

Good decision.

If I return to Denver, I'm running Sloan's Lake again.

Rocky Mountain National Park

[BlockNote component: Destination — Rocky Mountain National Park]

Friday was the biggest adventure day.

I had managed to get a Bear Lake Road timed-entry permit for 6–8 AM, so we left Westminster around 5:45 in the morning.

We arrived close enough to the end of our reservation window that I was starting to watch the clock a little more than the mountains.

Once inside, we headed toward Bear Lake and hiked to Dream Lake and Emerald Lake.

Now we were getting close to 10,000 feet.

My mom and sister could feel it.

On the shuttle afterward, they looked ready for a nap.

I wasn't completely immune either, but after a week in Colorado, the elevation no longer hit me with quite the same surprise.

At Beaver Meadows, I naturally concluded that the beavers were guarding the meadow and collecting tolls from unsuspecting tourists.

Likewise, the bears were obviously patrolling Bear Lake.

You pay homage.

They let you through.

National Park Service policy.

Probably.

[Gallery: Bear Lake, Dream Lake & Emerald Lake]

Around noon, hunger won.

We left the park and headed into Estes Park, where we ate at Notchtop.

I'd already tried Bird & Jim on my previous Colorado trip, so I wanted something different.

Later, I returned to Kind Coffee, which I remembered from the year before. Its creekside backyard was still one of those little places that made me want to sit around longer than our itinerary permitted.

We shopped.

We wandered.

And eventually our carefully constructed plan to return to Rocky Mountain National Park dissolved in the general reality of traveling with other human beings.

So we drove toward Nederland instead.

Nederland & Barker Reservoir

Nederland feels different from Boulder almost immediately.

Smaller.

Quirkier.

More mountain-town than college-town.

My family explored the shops while I eventually began eyeing the reservoir.

At around 6:15 PM, after already spending much of the day hiking around Rocky Mountain National Park, I went for a 5K around Barker Reservoir.

This was a questionable decision.

The trail was rocky in places, occasionally muddy, uneven and far hillier than something I'd choose for a textbook pre-race shakeout.

Nederland also sits above 8,000 feet.

I stopped a few times.

I watched my footing.

And I enjoyed it enormously.

If you're racing Boulderthon the next morning?

Don't do this.

If you're several days out and want a memorable trail run?

Different story.

[Gallery: Nederland & Barker Reservoir]

Boulderthon Weekend

After a week roaming Colorado, Saturday morning finally shifted the trip from Colorado vacation containing a race to race weekend.

Official Shakeout Run

[BlockNote component: Shakeout Run — Fleet Feet Boulder]

Boulderthon's official shakeout was held Saturday morning through Fleet Feet Boulder.

I ran roughly three miles with the group at around 8:50/mile.

It was relaxed and social — exactly what an organized shakeout should be.

I met some runners, chatted, settled into an easy rhythm and eventually took my shirt off near the end because I was getting warm.

Some traditions survive altitude.

Compared with some of the runs I'd already done that week, this was mercifully uneventful.

That's a compliment.

I'd do the official shakeout again.

Packet Pickup & Expo

[BlockNote component: Packet Pickup]

After the shakeout, we headed toward the expo.

And this is where Boulderthon briefly turned into a scavenger hunt.

The race email described packet pickup as being on Pearl Street Mall between Broadway and 15th.

Technically useful.

Practically?

We drove toward Broadway and 15th and found ourselves wondering where exactly this expo was supposed to be.

No obvious expo building.

No giant beacon.

Just three increasingly confused people in a Jeep.

Then I remembered Pearl Street itself.

What finally worked was searching Google Maps for:

Boulderthon Marathon — 1420 Pearl St, Boulder, CO

That took us directly where we needed to go.

For future runners, that's the navigation tip I'd remember.

Don't just plug in the intersection.

Navigate to the actual Boulderthon location on Pearl Street.

The 2026 expo hours were:

Friday: 1:00–6:00 PM Saturday: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

We picked up our race materials Saturday.

The clear gear-check bag they gave us would become useful the following morning.

The Day Before the Race

After packet pickup, we visited Chautauqua Park.

Later we drove up Flagstaff Road and stopped at Panorama Point and Lost Gulch Overlook.

This is where Colorado becomes dangerous to runners with poor self-control.

You tell yourself you're just going sightseeing.

Then there's a viewpoint.

Then another viewpoint.

Then a trail.

Then some rocks.

Then suddenly you've accumulated thousands of steps the day before racing.

We kept it reasonable enough, but if you're going all-out for a PR, I'd put stricter limits on your Saturday sightseeing than I did.

Pre-Race Dinner

[BlockNote component: Pre-Race Dinner — Venice Ristorante]

I had booked a 6:45 PM reservation at Venice Ristorante in Denver a few days earlier.

The restaurant itself was good.

My ordering strategy was less good.

I chose tonnarelli cacio e pepe con tartufo.

Rich.

Cheesy.

Delicious.

Potentially not the dish I'd choose again before racing 13.1 miles at altitude.

Last year, I'd eaten at Carelli's of Boulder, which I remember liking quite a bit. The atmosphere was comfortable and I had a simpler chicken-and-pasta style meal.

In retrospect, 2025 Ritvik made the smarter decision.

2026 Ritvik wasn't finished.

After Venice, I stopped at Little Man Ice Cream.

There was a long line.

My family waited in the car.

And because apparently waiting in a long line creates an obligation to maximize dessert efficiency, I ordered two scoops of Space Junkie — chocolate ice cream, chocolate pieces and raspberry.

It was outstanding.

It was also a lot of ice cream the night before Boulderthon.

Next time:

Chicken.

Pasta.

One reasonable dessert.

Sometimes boring wins races.

Race Morning

[BlockNote component: Parking — 10th & Walnut Garage]

The half marathon and marathon both started at 7:00 AM.

Parking was one of the logistical details I'd been most worried about.

It turned out to be easy.

We left Westminster around 6 AM and reached the 10th & Walnut Garage at roughly 6:30.

There were still plenty of spaces.

For our experience, this was an excellent race-morning parking option.

I wouldn't use our 30-minute buffer as permission to arrive even later — race mornings have too many variables — but it was reassuring to discover that parking wasn't the nightmare I'd imagined.

Gear Check

[BlockNote component: Gear Check]

Gear check was located near 15th and Pearl and opened at 6 AM.

The race required us to use the clear bag provided during packet pickup.

I put my:

• Phone
• Car keys
• Slippers

inside.

Simple.

Effective.

One less thing to think about.

I wore my race shoes to the start, attached my bib using BibBoards rather than safety pins, and headed toward the corrals.

Then came the part where all the careful planning ends.

You run.

The Course

[BlockNote component: Course / Elevation]

My watch recorded about 442 feet of elevation gain.

That's substantially more than the roughly 300 feet I remember recording on the 2025 version.

Whatever the exact official numbers, I didn't need a GPS file to tell me the 2026 course was harder.

My legs knew.

The defining feature wasn't one endless mountain climb.

It was the accumulation.

Roll.

Climb.

Recover.

Climb again.

And then, around mile 8, the course finally presented the hill that broke my rhythm.

That one was different.

That one announced itself.

Altitude

[BlockNote component: Altitude — Boulder]

Boulder sits more than 5,000 feet above sea level.

For runners who live there, that's home.

For someone coming from Northern Virginia, that's a cardiovascular tax.

I'd already spent more than a week in Colorado by race morning. I'd run around Colorado Springs, Westminster, Denver and Nederland. I'd hiked close to 10,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park.

That exposure helped me understand how effort felt.

But I wouldn't mistake that for magically becoming fully acclimated.

Altitude was still part of the race.

The more important lesson is that altitude and hills interact.

Maybe you can get away with a slightly aggressive start on a flat course.

Maybe you can manage the altitude if the terrain is gentle.

Boulderthon gave me both.

That's where the bill came due.

Weather & Race-Day Conditions

[BlockNote component: Weather]

[TODO: Add actual 2026 start temperature, finish temperature, wind and sun conditions before publishing.]

The larger weather story for our race weekend was heat.

Conditions were expected to become substantially warmer later in the day, which made the early 7 AM start valuable.

I finished well before the worst of the heat became an issue.

My Race

I lined up closer to the front than the middle, behind the truly fast runners.

And then I made the classic mistake runners make when adrenaline feels suspiciously like fitness.

I started too fast.

The opening miles were around 6:15–6:20/mile.

For a while, it felt fine.

That's the problem with going out too fast.

It usually does.

Through roughly six miles, I was moving well and sitting inside the top portion of the field.

Then the hills started taking increasingly large withdrawals.

By the time I reached the major climb around mile 8, I was no longer negotiating.

I was surviving.

I walked part of it.

I almost never walk during a road half marathon.

That hill got me.

Sad to say.

Or maybe not.

Because I started running again.

Around mile 10, I wanted to stop.

Then I wanted to stop again.

At several points during those final miles, stopping sounded incredibly reasonable.

A sensible lifestyle choice, really.

But I kept moving.

I only gave in to the course once.

And that's probably the thing I remember most proudly about this race.

Fueling

[BlockNote component: Aid Stations & Fueling]

I took a raspberry-flavored gel during the earlier miles and washed it down with water.

The raspberry taste hung around in my mouth for a while afterward.

It seemed to sit well, and fueling wasn't what unraveled my race.

My bigger problems were simpler:

pace + hills + altitude.

[TODO: Add official 2026 aid-station locations/products if desired.]

The Finish

I crossed in:

1:26:23

6:35/mile

90th overall

11th in my age group

Two minutes slower than my 1:24:17 the previous year.

On paper, that's a regression.

It didn't feel like one.

The 2026 course asked more of me.

I made mistakes.

I walked part of a hill.

I spent the final miles arguing with myself about whether running was still a hobby I enjoyed.

And I finished anyway.

Not earth-shattering.

Not a PR.

A good race.

A gritty race.

And sometimes that's enough.

Besides, that monster hill really was a boulder.

Maybe that's why they call it Boulderthon.

After the Finish

[BlockNote component: Post-Race Food — In-N-Out]

We celebrated in the most scientifically optimized recovery manner possible.

In-N-Out.

Burger.

Shake.

Done.

My mom and sister had raced too, which made the morning substantially more meaningful than if I'd simply flown in and chased another time by myself.

That became one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend.

Three of us.

Same event.

Colorado.

Finished.

So Naturally, We Drove Back to Rocky Mountain National Park

Normal post-half-marathon behavior would involve:

Shower.

Food.

Feet up.

Perhaps a nap.

We drove to Rocky Mountain National Park.

By the time we reached the entrance, there was a line, but our week-long park pass was still valid.

Then we climbed.

And climbed.

And climbed.

This time by Jeep, thankfully.

We drove Trail Ridge Road toward the Alpine Visitor Center, stopping for views along the way.

The road itself is part of the experience.

Mountains fall away beneath you.

The horizon opens.

And occasionally some vehicle passes that makes you wonder whether everyone else knows about a better way to experience Colorado than you do.

I saw Jeeps with open or covered upper seating areas carrying people who looked like they were getting an unobstructed mountain breeze while I sat behind a windshield.

I was jealous.

We reached Alpine Visitor Center before it closed, browsed the gift shop and picked up a few shirts, stickers and souvenirs.

Was driving through Rocky Mountain National Park hours after racing a half marathon optimal recovery?

No.

Would I trade that afternoon for sitting in the Airbnb?

Also no.

[Gallery: Post-Race RMNP / Trail Ridge Road]

Post-Race Dinner

[BlockNote component: Post-Race Dinner — Tavernetta]

For our last proper meal in Colorado, I'd managed to get an 8 PM reservation at Tavernetta in Denver.

That reservation had been harder to secure than most of our other meals.

I'd originally considered it for pre-race dinner, but availability made the decision for us.

That was probably for the best.

Tavernetta worked much better as a celebration.

I ordered a lamb ragù pasta dish.

Different from what I'd normally order.

Very good.

And after nine days of travel, running, hiking, racing, mountain roads and moving between hotels and Airbnbs, it felt appropriately final.

Our last hurrah.

The next morning we'd be waking around 4 AM, throwing the final things into our bags and returning the Jeep to Denver International Airport.

Colorado was over.

For now.

What Else Should You Do Around Boulderthon?

If you're traveling for this race, I wouldn't come all the way to Colorado only to see the inside of your hotel room and the course.

How much you add depends on your legs and your priorities.

But these were my favorites.

1. Rocky Mountain National Park

If you've never been, this would be my first recommendation.

Bear Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake gave us a completely different RMNP experience from simply driving Trail Ridge Road.

Just remember that hiking close to 10,000 feet is still exercise.

If you're serious about your race result, save the bigger hikes for afterward.

2. Sloan's Lake

My favorite straightforward run of the trip.

Easy access.

Denver skyline.

Mountain views.

No need to turn it into a trail-running expedition.

I'd happily run there again.

3. Nederland & Barker Reservoir

One of the most memorable running settings.

Also one of the least sensible places to go hammer a pre-race workout.

Come for the mountain-town atmosphere and reservoir.

Keep the running easy.

4. Golden

Golden is close enough to the Boulder/Denver corridor that it makes an easy half-day trip.

Clear Creek was particularly nice near sunset.

I'd like more time there next visit.

5. Garden of the Gods

Fantastic if you're turning Boulderthon into a broader Colorado road trip.

Not somewhere I'd drive as a casual race-weekend side excursion from Boulder.

Colorado Springs deserves its own time.

6. Red Rocks

Worth seeing.

I'd just prefer not to inhale several hours of smoke immediately before an altitude race next time.

Your experience may vary.

What I Wish I Knew

The Course Deserves Respect

Don't look at Boulderthon and mentally file it as an ordinary road half marathon.

The climbing adds up.

If your year includes a major hill around mile 8 like mine did, you want energy left when you get there.

Don't Chase Sea-Level Pace Blindly

If you're coming from lower elevation, effort matters more than what your watch says your normal pace should be.

I'd rather be slightly conservative through the first 5K and still be racing at mile 11.

Packet Pickup Is Easier If You Navigate to Boulderthon Itself

Searching for the Boulderthon location on Pearl Street worked much better for us than trying to interpret the Broadway/15th description.

10th & Walnut Worked Well for Parking

This was one of the easiest logistics wins of the morning.

We arrived around 6:30 for the 7 AM start and still found ample parking.

I wouldn't intentionally cut it much closer.

Colorado Will Try to Ruin Your Taper

Not maliciously.

It's just very pretty.

You will see a mountain.

Then a trail.

Then another overlook.

Then Rocky Mountain National Park will be right there.

Exercise restraint.

Or accept that you are on vacation and make peace with your choices.

Things I'd Do Differently

Start Slower

This is the obvious one.

Opening around 6:15 pace felt good.

Until it didn't.

I'd rather surrender a few seconds per mile early and have something left when the climbing begins.

Prioritize More Long-Run Strength Before the Trip

Before my 2025 Boulderthon, I remember doing a longer run around Davidson Mesa, somewhere around 10–12 miles.

It was hard.

It was beautiful.

And I think having that kind of sustained endurance work helped me.

For another Boulderthon build, I'd make sure my long-run base was stronger before arriving in Colorado rather than trying to manufacture fitness during race week.

Don't Turn Race Week Into Altitude Boot Camp

I loved almost every run I did during this trip.

That does not mean I needed to do all of them.

Garden of the Gods.

Ralston Creek.

Lake Arbor.

Golden.

Sloan's Lake.

Nederland.

Official shakeout.

That's a lot of running around a half marathon.

Next time I'd probably keep the best ones and skip a couple of the filler runs.

Eat the Boring Pasta

My 2025 pre-race meal was simpler.

My 2026 meal involved truffle cacio e pepe followed by two scoops of chocolate-raspberry ice cream.

You tell me which one sounds more like the standard runner playbook.

Next time:

Chicken.

Pasta.

Carbs.

Simple.

Tried and true.

I'll save Space Junkie for after the finish.

Final Verdict

Yes.

I would travel for Boulderthon again.

And yes.

I would race it a third time.

I returned in 2026 because my first Boulderthon left me wanting more of Colorado.

The second trip somehow did the same thing.

This time I got Garden of the Gods.

Red Rocks.

Sloan's Lake before sunrise.

Golden.

Bear Lake.

Dream Lake.

Emerald Lake.

Nederland.

Barker Reservoir.

A Jeep climbing Trail Ridge Road.

And a half marathon that humbled me somewhere around mile 8.

Most importantly, I got to share the race with my family.

That's the part a finish time doesn't capture.

I ran two minutes slower than I did the year before.

But when I think about Boulderthon 2026, that's not really what I remember.

I remember the mountains slowly appearing outside Denver International Airport.

I remember running while Denver woke up across Sloan's Lake.

I remember the thin air at Emerald Lake.

I remember rain falling over Red Rocks.

I remember wondering where the hell the expo was.

I remember that hill.

I definitely remember that hill.

I remember wanting to stop at mile 10 — and deciding not to.

And then, a few hours later, I remember driving back into Rocky Mountain National Park with 13.1 miles already in my legs because apparently Colorado hadn't shown me enough yet.

That's why Boulderthon works as a destination race.

The finish line isn't the whole story.

It's just the reason you came.