Boulderthon to feature thousands of runners, force downtown traffic closures

Published: Boulder Daily Camera

More than 10,000 runners will lace up their shoes and descend on Boulder for this year’s Boulderthon on Sunday.

The event, which offers a kids’ run, a 5K, 10K, plus a half-and-full marathon, will feature multiple Olympic athletes and bring a significant number of road closures to the area.

The races will start and end at 19th and Pearl streets. The Pearl Street Mall will be the site of pre- and post-race events all weekend. Pearl Street will be closed from 15th through 55th streets, from 7 until 9:30 a.m., Sunday. Mapleton Avenue will be closed from 9:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m.

The marathon route, which heads northeast up to Niwot Road and 95th Street, will see many roads facing closures at different points in the day. A full list and map can be found on the Boulderthon website, boulderthon.org.

The event will feature a star-studded elite race, including five Olympians. Boulder-born bronze medalist Emma Coburn is one prominent local participant. The 5K prize purse is the largest in the country, at $20,000. Also, a $10,000 bonus will be awarded if somebody breaks the Colorado 5K records of 13:31.27 for men and 15:44.20 for women.

Now in its fourth staging, the race has seen the number of runners nearly double, each year. This year there will be racers from 50 states and 18 countries. Race founder Phil Dumontet believes that the rapid growth is due in part to the community support that allows it to offer the top-flight amenities of nationally prominent races. The Boulderthon will have the support of more than 750 volunteers.

“The magic of Boulderthon, in my mind, is that it has the big-city amenities that you would expect from a world-class marathon,” Dumontet said, “but we have that small-town kind of charm and boutique feel.”

While the races are set for Sunday, there will be events throughout the weekend on the Pearl Street Mall. Accordingly, 14th Street from Walnut to Spruce streets was closed Friday, and will remain so until 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

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