Some truly amazing people moved through Boulder today. Lots of them ran. More of them combined running and walking. A few very determined people rolled, either propelled under their own power or by being pushed by others. While I waited in Folsom Stadium (in vain) to see Mr S-P and XS come around the final curve to the finish line, I was entertained by runners and walkers in costumes, like the tall guy with a passing resemblance to Will Ferrell who was high-stepping and waving in his Elf suit. Or the two muscle-bound guys in hair-metal wigs and spandex that would have thrilled David Lee Roth in his heyday, having a wrestling match just under the horseshoe, before the finish line. An individual who may or may not still identify with the XY chromosomes he was born with ran in a Cruella de Vil costume, complete with cigarette holder (probably empty, but who knows?). Then there was the girl, late teens or early 20s, I'd guess, with more than a little extra padding, running in the Wonder Woman costume. She gave me hope.
As much fun as the costume people were, there were others who really inspired me. There were people in their 80s, hunched over, but still completing all 10 kilometers of the race. There was a guy who had noticeably atrophied legs, obviously dependent on his green and black carbon fiber forearm crutch, walking at a quite respectable pace around the field. The announcers called attention to the few dozen people who had run in all 40 Bolder Boulders, since 1979. But the one who really impressed the crap out of me was the person (I think a young man?) who had obviously had a serious medical even on the course, yet was so determined to finish, that he was escorted by his running partner (I'm guessing his mom), three or four EMTs, plus one more pushing a gurney, waiting for him to collapse.
I keep wanting to tell myself that if these people can run the race, surely I could walk it. But then, for all that it was a mostly cloudy day, I had a hard time completing the day just for sitting in the stands, having to climb the stairs from the bottom scoreboard to the main walkway absolutely broke my hip flexors, and by the time we were home again, I had to have two hot tub soaks, interrupted by a long nap. Maybe if I ran with one of those ludicrous costumes, like Chip the Buffalo, or the 1st Bank Cube, I'd travel with enough shade to make it 10k.
I'd never stayed all the way through the elite runners and military salute before. The women kicked off first, and less than half an hour later, they were crossing the finish line. The men started a few minutes after they did, and they were in the stadium as the last woman was finishing (pretty sure she had a cramp or fell or something, because she was several minutes after the rest of the pack.) There was a large contingent of supporters from Ethiopia, and their dedication as fans was well-founded. For sure the winner of the men's elite was Ethiopian, and I think the women's was too.
For the final ceremony, they introduced members of the original 10th Mountain Division, and played tributes to their history. One of them played the national anthem on his trumpet while the crowd sang along. The final note was only beginning to fade when the National Guard jet flew over. (The amount of planning and coordination involved in that sort of perfection is monumental.) A crowd of new recruits took their oath of enlistment, and then the Longmont skydiving team dropped in with flags of each of the service branches, a MIA flag, and Old Glory. The spectacle was unparalleled.
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