So another PPSTCR alum, Don Solberg, my teammate in 2012, told me I had to blog about my personal best in this year’s Bolder Boulder. Actually it was a personal first.

After running the BB in 2012 and having passed up the offer of free beer along the route (for those who have never run in this event, you may also find pancakes and popsicles offered along the way by generous residents in the many neighborhoods you pass through), I decided not to make the same mistake two years in a row. So I did my first keg stand just a little over a mile into the run. Now it is pretty embarrassing for a graduate of Ohio University to admit it took this long to accomplish such a feat but...that’s just the way it is. Apologies to my fellow Bobcats. Some people might consider such behavior rash, unhealthy or detrimental to one’s overall finishing position. Sorry but the BB is all about having a fun time, not a respectable time. If anything, I believe I had more energy following this infusion of hops and grains. The only noticeable side effect was one slight beer burp and only one (I know, TMI). I was following the excellent example set by another 2012 teammate and two-time PPSTCR rock star, John (JT) Teishter. I figured that anyone who has finished 3, yes THREE, Hardrock runs (arguably the hardest ultra in Colorado if not the nation) should know something about refueling. Lastly but certainly not least, I was also inspired by the pictures my current PPSTCR teammate Bubba Chavez had shown me, evidence of his most excellent keg stands during the 2013 BB. I must say I didn’t come close to Bubba’s form but will work on that in my future running endeavors. The BB is a reasonable tune-up for the first run in the Triple Crown series, the Garden of the Gods 10-miler, although the BB is almost 4 miles shorter and does not have hills as long or as steep as the Garden. In Boulder you top out at 5,391 feet at the highest point in the course, which is nothing for the leather-lunged freaks that live above 6K. Still, like the Garden, the BB is run all on pavement so in that regard it approximates the only run in the TC series that is not run on any trails. The keg visit was also somewhat of an approximation, since, according to local lore, the Garden took its name from a comment made by one of two-surveyors long ago. Upon seeing the area for the first time, one surveyor allegedly said to the other, “This would be an ideal place for a beer garden, a garden fit for the gods.” Or something like that. Bottoms up!