BOULDER — The sun had dropped behind the Flatirons and twilight had come to Potts Field last Thursday as two 400-meter hurdlers circled a track that has been home to numerous champions, Olympians and world record-holders for decades.
One was a promising young University of Colorado multievent athlete — Brianne Beemer, a freshman from Loveland who finished eighth in the event at the Big 12 championships last month. Beemer seemingly floated over the hurdles and glided around the track, a joy to watch, and finished in 64 seconds.
The other was a 15-year-old girl who looked like she had never run the hurdles before, but she had gumption, and at the finish line she triggered a round of cheers no less heartfelt than the one Beemer had received when she arrived 44 seconds earlier.
That’s what the Boulder Road Runners’ All Comers summer track meets are all about. The bimonthly Thursday night affairs attract elite runners, middle-aged runners who cherish competition every bit as much as the elites, high school runners trying to stay sharp over the summer and young children getting their first exposure to track and field. About 100 competed last Thursday in the first of six meets this season.
“Everybody from little bitty kids to people in their 70s and sometimes in their 80s are welcome, and nobody feels like they shouldn’t be here,” said Laurie Rugenstein, 61. “Everybody really supports each other.”
The competition is fierce, but the atmosphere is friendly, and the setting is gorgeous.
“It is a feel-good event, and as you come around the track, you’re focusing on the track but you look up and you see the sun setting behind the Flatirons, it’s just so beautiful,” said Loraine Gruber, 50. “It’s inspiring. I’m one of the slowest runners out here, but I feel I’m as much a part of it as any of the elite runners.”
You can get lapped by four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck, as I was in the 3,000 meters, but there is a mutual respect that permeates the evening because all are really there to compete against themselves. It’s not about how fast you go, but how hard you push yourself.
“Everyone is here for the same reason,” said Ewen North, who ran for the British Commonwealth team in the Bolder Boulder. “There is a vibe about it. Everyone ‘gets’ it. There’s no animosity. It’s just fun and good times.”
North ran the 1,500 in 4 minutes, 16 seconds, and I ran it in 6:24. He’s 30 and I’m 55, but we shared in the wonderful fraternity of competitive runners. “The cult,” as my friend Steve Krebs calls it.
The Front Range running community owes the Boulder Road Runners a huge debt of gratitude for putting on the series, which goes back more than 15 years in its current form, because it’s the only series of its kind in the area. It fills an important niche for runners who like to race and who understand the training benefit of racing short distances even when their primary focus is distance running.
“It’s one of the few forums in this road racing-crazy environment where kids can sprint and adults can sprint,” said Ric Rojas, who won the first Bolder Boulder in 1979 and coaches dozens of runners today. “You have a chance to experience the exhilaration of going full out. That very seldom happens in a road-racing environment. Plus it complements the endurance running.”
A lot of us do weekly interval workouts to get faster, but racing on the track is a lot more fun.
“Last year was the first year I ever did a track meet, and I just love it,” Gruber said. “I love the camaraderie of it, the camaraderie between the racers and the different heats and everybody cheering. It’s a great community event.”
It is a portrait of the local running scene at its finest, a celebration of our lifestyle.
“This is just a wonderful summer thing,” Bobby Manning said after blazing 400 meters in 65 seconds. “This is as good as life gets.”
On your mark, get set . . .
What: Boulder Road Runners Summer All Comers track meets
When: June 18; July 2, 16; Aug. 6, 20
Where: CU’s Potts Field, north of Colorado Avenue between Foothills Parkway and 30th Street
Cost: $4 per event ($2 per event for Boulder Road Runners), sign-up begins at 5:30 p.m.
Track races: 100-meter dash, 200, 400, 800, 1,500 and 1-mile
Hurdles: 100, 110 and 400
Distance events: 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000
Misc.: 3,000-meter steeplechase, 1,600 relay, 1,500 wheelchair
Field events: Long jump, triple jump, shot put, high jump and hammer
Note: Not all events are scheduled for each meet. For the complete schedule and start times, go to and click on the “Summer Track Meets” link.
John Meyer, The Denver Post
