🏃 BOULDERTHON MARATHON 2026 — TOO MUCH SUNSHINE OUT ON THE REZ! 😂

September 27, 2026 — Boulder, Colorado

My 129th Marathon | 7th Marathon of 2026 | Finish Time: 5:22:12

Some marathons you run because you love the course.

Some you run because you want to set a personal record.

And some you run because a buddy talks you into going back to a marathon you weren’t particularly crazy about the FIRST time!

Welcome to Boulderthon 2026! 😂

This was my sixth marathon in Boulder, Colorado.

And by the time this adventure was over, I’d encountered three struggling runners lying in the grass, an aid station running out of water, an old running buddy in lime-green shorts, a crazy Avis rental-car experience, and a broken foot.

AND THE BROKEN FOOT WASN’T EVEN MINE!

You can’t make this stuff up.

Here’s what happened.

🏔️ BACK TO BOULDER — FOR THE SIXTH TIME!

Becky and I lived in Colorado for 27 years, from 1994 to 2021.

So getting up at the butt crack of dawn, driving to Boulder, finding a parking spot, and standing around in the chilly September air waiting for a marathon to start isn’t exactly new to me.

Been there.

Done that.

Got the medals!

I ran Boulderthon back in October 2023 for my 113th marathon.

Finished in 4:46:46.

Which, now that I look at it, is a pretty cool finishing time. Three fours and two sixes!

But I wasn’t particularly interested in running Boulderthon again.

Then our buddy Daniel decided to run it.

And somehow he talked us into going back.

THANKS, DANIEL! LOL.

Now here’s something you might not know.

I’ve been running marathons around Boulder for a LONG time.

My history looks something like this:

• Marathon #13 — October 21, 2012: Boulder Backroads — 4:11:15
• Marathon #35 — September 19, 2015: Boulder — 4:17:36
• Marathon #48 — October 9, 2016: Boulder Rez — 4:35:33
• Marathon #79 — September 8, 2019: Boulder Rez — 5:18:34
• Marathon #113 — October 2023: Boulderthon — 4:46:46
• Marathon #129 — September 27, 2026: Boulderthon — 5:22:12

SIX marathons.

And an awful lot of miles around the Boulder Reservoir.

Looking at those numbers, I realized something.

My latest marathon wasn’t that much slower than my 79th marathon seven years earlier.

At 59 years old, I’ll take that as a WIN!

Although I’d certainly like to know where that guy who ran 4:11 back in 2012 went.

That was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away! 😂

✈️ THE TRIP STARTED WITH A FIVE-AND-A-HALF-HOUR FLIGHT!

Before we even got to Boulder, the weekend started getting interesting.

We flew Southwest from El Paso, Texas, to Denver on Friday.

Normally, that’s about a 90-minute flight.

Not this time.

We got almost all the way to Denver before the weather apparently decided we needed to visit Montrose, Colorado, instead.

So the plane diverted to Montrose.

We landed.

Nobody was allowed to get off.

And we sat there waiting.

Our little 90-minute flight turned into approximately FIVE AND A HALF HOURS!

Wonderful.

By the time we finally arrived in Denver, all I wanted was to grab our rental car, drive to Johnstown, where we were staying with family, and get some sleep.

But Avis had another idea.

We’ll get to THAT adventure in a minute.

🎉 THE BOULDERTHON EXPO — WAIT, YOU DIDN’T SIGN UP? 😂

The day before the marathon, we headed to the Expo on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.

And I’ll give Boulderthon credit.

THE EXPO WAS GREAT!

Lots of vendors, plenty of activity, and a good atmosphere.

It actually felt like a big marathon weekend.

Lululemon was the primary sponsor, and runners received a long-sleeve shirt.

Which, by the way, was one of the reasons Becky wanted to run this particular race.

SHE WANTED THE SHIRT!

So she went to pick up her packet for the half-marathon.

And discovered something interesting.

SHE HAD FORGOTTEN TO REGISTER HERSELF!

LOL!

Apparently, when she signed us up for Boulderthon, she’d registered ME for the marathon and somehow forgotten to register herself for the half.

I guess when you’re running seven marathons in a year, along with half-marathons and other races, eventually all these registrations start running together!

Fortunately, we got that worked out, and Becky was able to run.

Then there were the Lululemon shirts.

Nice shirts.

ABOUT ONE SIZE TOO SMALL!

Unless I’ve suddenly started wearing an extra-large.

Which is entirely possible.

But I’m going with the shirts running small. 😂

Anyway, we enjoyed the Expo and were ready for race day.

Or so we thought.

🎉 17,000 RUNNERS ON PEARL STREET!

The Boulderthon start line was pretty impressive.

The event brought together approximately 17,000 runners from all 50 states and 18 countries, with the marathon and half-marathon starting around 7:00 AM.

That’s a LOT of runners.

Fortunately, they staged everyone in waves a few minutes apart, so even with thousands of people on the course, things were fairly manageable.

And here’s something I liked.

The marathon and half-marathon started together.

That meant Becky and I could run together for a good portion of the morning.

She ran approximately nine miles with me before the courses separated and she headed toward her finish line.

I, on the other hand, still had a long way to go.

Lucky me! 😂

🏃 THE COURSE — BEAUTIFUL, BUT I’VE SEEN ENOUGH OF THE RESERVOIR!

The course was different from the one I ran back in 2023.

We started in Boulder, ran through some nice areas around town, enjoyed the Colorado scenery, and eventually headed toward the Boulder Reservoir before returning to town for the finish.

It’s a good course.

Boulder has some fantastic scenery.

And if you’re visiting Colorado to run a marathon, there’s certainly plenty to look at.

But let’s be honest.

I’VE SEEN ENOUGH OF THE BOULDER RESERVOIR TO LAST ME A WHILE!

LOL.

I’ve been running around that thing since 2012.

At some point, the scenery starts looking a little too familiar.

Still, the first half of the race was going reasonably well.

I was enjoying running with Becky, the weather wasn’t terrible yet, and I was moving along at a decent pace.

Then Becky headed toward her finish line.

And I headed toward the hills, the reservoir, and what turned out to be one very long afternoon.

🔥 THE SUN CAME OUT — AND PEOPLE STARTED CRACKING!

The morning had started out fairly mild.

But after about three hours, the sun really started heating things up.

And I mean REALLY HEATING THINGS UP!

I was getting dehydrated, and I could tell I wasn’t the only runner having trouble.

Fortunately, I’d brought along a little bag of pickles in my running shorts.

Yes.

PICKLES!

I’ve been running marathons long enough to know that you need to pay attention to hydration, electrolytes, and how your body is responding.

I was eating my pickles, drinking water, and stopping at the aid stations to refill the bottle I carry when I run.

And here’s a little advice from somebody who’s been doing this for a long time.

BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE!

Especially if you’re going to be out there for five or six hours.

I like being able to drink when I need to instead of depending entirely on the next aid station.

As it turned out, carrying my own bottle was a pretty good decision.

Because later in the race, one of those aid stations was going to run out of water!

By around mile 18, people were starting to struggle.

And whatever decent pace I had going earlier was disappearing pretty quickly.

I was starting to think…

“OKAY. THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE MARATHONS.”

And I was right.

🟢 HEY! I KNOW THAT GUY IN THE LIME-GREEN SHORTS!

Somewhere out by the Boulder Reservoir, I spotted a runner ahead of me wearing lime-green shorts.

And he was going slower than ME!

I know.

Hard to believe at that point. LOL.

Then I noticed his shoes.

Vibrams.

Those funny-looking minimalist shoes with individual toes that make you look like you’re practically running barefoot.

And I thought…

“OH WOW! THAT’S KEN!”

Ken is a professor at Colorado State University, and I’ve probably run 10 or 12 marathons with him over the years.

Not because we plan to run them together.

I just show up at some marathon, and there’s Ken!

He’s pretty easy to recognize.

Lime-green shorts.

Vibram shoes.

No shirt.

Lots of sunscreen.

And a handlebar mustache.

I caught up with him, said hello, and asked how he was doing.

We ran together for a little while, baking in the Colorado sun like a couple of lobsters.

Then I headed off again.

And that’s when the day started getting a little more serious.

🚨 RUNNER NUMBER ONE — MILE 21

I had made it through what I call the gauntlet around the Boulder Reservoir.

I was about half a mile from the next aid station when I spotted a younger runner ahead of me.

He was wobbling.

And not just a little.

THIS GUY LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ABOUT TO PASS OUT!

Then he walked over and lay down in the grass.

So I stopped.

I asked if he was okay and encouraged him to get help at the aid station.

He really didn’t seem interested in getting up.

And I was concerned.

I told him something that apparently another runner didn’t appreciate hearing.

“Hey, it’s okay to call it quits at mile 21. You can always try again.”

Another guy nearby heard me.

He said, “You shouldn’t tell him that! He should just walk the next five miles and finish!”

I laughed.

Seriously?

The guy looked like he was about to collapse!

So I asked the young runner whether he’d trained for the marathon.

And that’s when the problem became clear.

HE HAD NEVER RUN MORE THAN 14 MILES!

Fourteen miles!

And this was his first marathon.

Now he’s out there at mile 21, in the heat, struggling to stay on his feet.

Finally, he said:

“No, I think I need to stop.”

And I thought that was a pretty good decision.

The other runner took off like this guy had just made the worst decision of his life.

But here’s something I’ve learned from all these years of running.

A FINISHER’S MEDAL ISN’T WORTH PUTTING YOURSELF IN THE HOSPITAL!

There’s always another race.

I stayed with him as we made our way toward the aid station so he could get assistance.

Then I continued down the course.

I still had several miles to go.

🚨 RUNNER NUMBER TWO — ANOTHER GUY IN THE GRASS!

A couple of miles later, I came across another runner.

LYING IN THE GRASS!

I’m thinking…

“What the heck is going on out here?”

People were running by.

Other people were walking.

And this guy was just lying there.

So I stopped again.

“Hey, are you okay?”

He told me he was going to lie there for a while and try to get motivated to start running again.

I told him he needed to be careful in this heat and encouraged him to get up if he felt able to walk safely.

He was responsive and able to walk, so I stayed with him for a while.

I told him he didn’t have to run the remaining miles.

If he was feeling okay and able to continue, he could walk it in. Otherwise, he needed to get help.

He decided to walk.

And that’s what he did.

Now, I’ve seen runners get into serious trouble before.

Years ago, at the Aspen Valley Marathon, I came across a young runner around mile 24½ who was lying under a tree, unresponsive and going into shock.

I had to run to a nearby house to get assistance. Someone called an ambulance, and they stayed with him.

Another time, I was helping carry water up to an aid station at the Leadville 100 ultramarathon.

On my way back down to be a spectator again, I came across a woman who had collapsed around mile 50.

I had to run to get help.

I’ve seen firsthand how quickly things can go wrong during an endurance race.

So when I see somebody lying in the grass during a hot marathon, I don’t just assume they’re taking a little break.

And apparently, Boulderthon wasn’t finished surprising me yet.

🚨 RUNNER NUMBER THREE — YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

I started running and walking again.

I was hot.

I was tired.

And I just wanted to get this marathon over with.

And then…

ANOTHER RUNNER WAS DOWN!

THREE!

Seriously?

I was starting to wonder whether I was running a marathon or participating in some kind of endurance survival documentary.

LOL.

I stopped to check on him.

I ended up giving him my remaining pickle.

And to make things even more challenging, one of the aid stations around mile 24 had run out of water.

The volunteers were trying to get more delivered.

Now that’s not exactly what you want to hear when you’ve got overheated runners struggling through the final miles.

Most of the aid stations had been working hard to support everybody, but the water shortage at that point in the race was unfortunate.

I’d experienced something similar at a marathon in Camarillo, California, earlier this year.

It doesn’t happen at every marathon.

But it CAN happen.

And it happened in Boulder.

By this point, I was completely exhausted myself.

I’d only run up to 18 miles in training for this particular race, but I knew how to slow down, walk when necessary, and manage the remaining miles as long as I was feeling well enough to continue.

I wasn’t trying to win anything.

My plan was pretty simple.

GET TO THE FINISH LINE.

GET MY MEDAL.

GET SOMETHING TO DRINK.

AND GET THE HECK OUT OF THE SUN!

🏅 THE FINISH LINE — THERE AIN’T GONNA BE NO REMATCH!

I finally made it back into town.

And crossed the finish line in:

5 HOURS, 22 MINUTES, AND 12 SECONDS.

My slowest marathon of 2026.

And you know what?

I DIDN’T CARE!

That marathon had absolutely wiped me out.

My family was waiting for me.

Becky.

Our son Corban.

Our daughter Bianca.

Our son-in-law Jared.

And our buddy Daniel.

Daniel had finished quite a while before I did.

And here’s the funny part.

He wasn’t even planning to run the full marathon when we got to the start line!

But somehow, he ended up doing it anyway.

It was his ninth marathon of the year, and he was dealing with the heat and a leg injury himself.

We were ALL pretty well spent.

You can see it in the photos.

I don’t look like a guy who just finished an easy Sunday morning jog.

I LOOK LIKE I JUST FINISHED A FIVE-HOUR FIGHT WITH BOULDER, COLORADO!

And then Bianca asked me:

“Dad, how are you doing?”

I looked at her and jokingly said:

“THERE AIN’T GONNA BE NO REMATCH!”

LOL! 😂

After six marathons in Boulder, I don’t think I need to go back looking for lucky number seven.

I’ve seen enough of the reservoir.

I’ve climbed enough of those hills.

And I’ve spent enough time running around Boulder with the sun beating down on me.

I’M GOOD!

Boulder definitely won this one.

🚐 THE AVIS MYSTERY CAR FROM HELL!

Now, you would think that after finishing the marathon, the story would be over.

Nope.

Remember that delayed flight into Denver?

Well, when we finally arrived Friday evening, I went to the Avis counter to pick up our rental car.

I’d reserved one of those “Mystery Car” specials.

It was supposed to be something like a midsize sedan.

Simple enough.

Except the guy at the counter told me:

“Sorry, we’re out of cars. All we have is an electric vehicle.”

Oh boy.

Here we go again.

If you’ve read my Travelers Freak Parking Spot called “When a Tesla Model 3 Tried to Take Over Our Vacation,” you already know why I wasn’t particularly interested in renting another EV for a marathon weekend.

Here’s that adventure:

https://www.travelersfreak.com/travel/when-the-tesla-model-3-tried-to-take-over-our-vacation/

I told the guy:

“No. Give me something else besides an electric car.”

He says:

“Well, all we have is a 12-passenger van. I can give you that or the EV.”

I looked at him.

“I’LL TAKE THE 12-PASSENGER VAN!”

Then I jokingly said:

“Screw you, Elon Musk!”

And the people working at the Avis counter started laughing.

But WAIT!

It gets even better.

The guy then proceeds to tell me he could upgrade me to ANOTHER SEDAN for an additional $40 a day.

I just stared at him.

And laughed.

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE OUT OF CARS?”

LOL!

Apparently, they were out of cars until I agreed to pay MORE money!

No thanks.

Hand me the keys to the 12-passenger van.

We’re going to Johnstown!

🦶 AND THEN THE RENTAL VAN BROKE MY WIFE’S FOOT!

You cannot make this stuff up.

The day after the marathon, Becky went outside to get a jacket out of the van.

I’d parked it near the grass.

She stepped out, slipped, and nearly hit her head on a streetlight.

Instead, she injured her foot.

And she was hurting.

Later that day, we were back at the Denver airport getting ready to fly home.

We ended up walking around the airport for about an hour, and Becky kept telling me how much her foot hurt.

Remember, she’d just completed the Boulderthon Half-Marathon.

But the injury had NOTHING to do with running!

We finally got home to New Mexico.

She went to the doctor.

And guess what?

BROKEN FOOT!

Yep.

She successfully ran the Boulderthon Half-Marathon.

Then broke her foot getting out of a 12-passenger rental van!

LOL.

Now she’s in a walking boot for six weeks.

And she’s out of our next marathon in Albuquerque.

All because we ended up with a mystery rental vehicle that was supposed to be a midsize sedan.

WHAT A WEEKEND!

🏃 WHAT’S NEXT? THE ALBUQUERQUE FIESTA MARATHON

My next marathon is coming up in about two and a half weeks.

The Albuquerque Fiesta Marathon.

I’ve run it before, and I’m looking forward to doing it again.

Although after Boulderthon, I probably need to get a little more motivated and train harder for this one.

Daniel was planning to come down from Colorado to run it with me.

But his leg injury is going to keep him out for four to six weeks.

Becky is in a walking boot.

So it looks like I’ll be representing the crew by myself.

Lucky me! 😂

And before somebody asks…

No, I don’t currently have plans to run Boulderthon again.

Six trips to Boulder to run marathons is enough for me.

At least for now.

Because knowing me, somebody will probably call in a couple of years and say:

“Hey, we’re running Boulderthon!”

And I’ll probably say…

“Really? What year?”

LOL.

🧠 LESSONS FROM BOULDERTHON

Every marathon teaches you something.

And after all these years, you’d think I’d know just about everything there is to know.

Apparently not.

A few reminders from Boulderthon:

• Colorado sunshine can turn a comfortable morning into a brutal afternoon.
• Carrying your own water bottle can be a very good idea.
• Training matters, especially when you’re attempting your first marathon.
• If somebody looks like they’re about to collapse, getting medical help matters more than finishing.
• Sometimes the smartest thing a runner can do is STOP.
• Experience doesn’t guarantee that your next marathon will be easy.
• And NEVER underestimate the ability of a rental-car company to turn a simple reservation into an adventure!

But perhaps the biggest lesson?

A MARATHON DOESN’T HAVE TO BE FAST TO BE MEMORABLE.

Sometimes the most memorable races are the ones where everything goes sideways.

🏅 WHY THIS STORY LIVES ON RUNNER FREAK

Some marathons are fast.

Some are slow.

Some are beautiful.

And some are absolutely miserable.

But every single one has a story.

Sometimes it’s about the course.

Sometimes it’s about the people you meet.

Sometimes it’s about helping another runner through a difficult moment.

And sometimes it’s about three runners lying in the grass, an old buddy wearing lime-green shorts, a 12-passenger van, and your wife breaking her foot AFTER successfully finishing her half-marathon!

That’s why I built Runner Freak.

To give runners, race organizers, spectators, businesses, coaches, and everyone else around the running world a place to share their stories, experiences, photos, videos, products, and services.

You don’t need to be fast.

You don’t need to win.

You don’t even need to run a marathon!

YOU JUST NEED A STORY WORTH TELLING.

And if you’ve got one, you can create your own full-page Parking Spot here on Runner Freak for just $7.

You can include up to 30,000 characters, 25 photos, 2 embedded videos, and links.

Create one story.

Then another.

Build your own running library.

DON’T STOP AT ONE!

Want to get started?

Visit:

https://www.runnerfreak.com/freak/TheCoolCarGuy/

Then click the yellow +ADD LISTING button to create your own Parking Spot.

As for me?

I’ve got marathon #130 coming up, more stories to write, and plenty more miles to run.

But after Boulderthon rolled over me like a boulder, I’m definitely not looking for lucky number seven anytime soon!

WE’RE ALL RUNNING THE SAME RACE. JUST AT DIFFERENT PACES. 🏃