Boulder, Colorado first entered my consciousness as a runner in my teens in the UK. I was an avid reader of Athletics Weekly and read about the BolderBOULDER 10K (BB10K), the world’s biggest 10k road race which was frequented by the world’s top distance runners. Over 1.2 million have run BB10K since 1979. While visiting friends at Grand Lake in the summer of 2008 Sham and I had a day trip to Boulder, a two hour drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. Within an hour of arriving, sipping a latte in a an coffee shop filled with fellow fitness nerds, I realized I was home. And so did Sham. On Memorial Day of 2011 I was top masters in the BB10K in 33:50. I’m on the age 45 all time list.
Boulder, the BB10K, its people, its lifestyle, its weather inspired the creation and name of this blog. And soon after the race we put our money where our mouth was and bought a place in north Boulder, a stones’ thrown from Amante Uptown. We sold it in May 2021 as we had not figured out a way to spend more time there, our work firmly rooted on the East Coast. Nevertheless we are still workig on a plan to move to Boulder, at least to spend part of the year. So what does Boulder have going for it as a place to live, work, run or just visit? Well here’s a selection of articles and accolades to convince you how much it has going for it:
- Best Places to Live, US News & World Report;
- The Secrets Behind the Happiest City in the US, World Economic Forum;
- These are the Happiest Cities in the United States, National Geographic;
- Where to Eat and Sleep in Boulder, America’s Happiest City, Vogue;
- The Gore-Tex Vortex, Outside Online;
- 9 Reasons Why Boulder Is the Coolest City in America, Fodors Travel;
- Boulder Travel Coverage, The New York Times;
- 36 hours in Boulder, Colo., The New York Times;
- In Boulder, Where Inner Peace Meets Outer Beauty, The New York Times;
- Home to numerous world class runners and their coaches. Top runners include Kara Goucher, Laura Thweatt, Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn. Top coaches include Mark Wetmore, Lee Troop and Steve Jones;
- America’s Most Quirkiest Towns, Travel + Leisure;
- America’s Top 25 Towns To Live Well, Forbes;
- City of Boulder’s 2016 Community Survey;
- Best Places to Live 2016: Is Everything Better in Boulder?, Men’s Journal; and
- Foodies Know: Boulder Has Become a Hub for New Producers, The New York Times
Here’s a selection of videos that show the place off:
I could go on and on. Some folk don’t like Boulder. They are rare and wrong.
As for running in Boulder well Boulder Running is a great resource – where to run, news, etc. – while this site serves as a quick guide to the best trail running in the area.
If you are interested in coming to Boulder to run please check out this page.
Live Boulder Run Bolder 