Held Captive by the Bolder Boulder

I was awakened this morning at 5am to the loud sound of a hovering helicopter.

Today is the annual Bolder Boulder 10K (6.2 miles) run here in Boulder, in its 28th year. The "Largest Race in the World." The starting line is about 2 blocks from my condo, there will be 78 waves (starts), and the course runs right past where I live, so... the streets are blocked off here for all the participants, all 47,000 of them, from about 5:30am until about 10am.

I just got back from watching several waves of people for about an hour and a half and was feeling motivated to go grocery shopping... that will have to wait.

I've never seen so many people in one place at one time to run / walk a 10K... and they're all so HAPPY about it. (Everyone is here to take part... young and old, all races / nationalities, all capabilities.) Some people take it seriously, and some just find it fun... and even dress up in silly costumes. I saw: A unicorn lady, the Jamba Juice bananas, Uncle Sam, a group of men dressed in women's running clothes... sports bras and all, two men bouncing a basketball back and forth as they ran, lots of super heros, a few men dressed as nuns, high school girls with "Pigs are Friends not Food, eat Corn Instead" on their tank tops, a bumble bee lady, a cow man, several grass skirt wearing folks (men and women), and wheelchairs among the walkers / runners. And I cannot forget the Professional Wheelchair race... the first wave to go... inspiring and amazing. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines also are showing their presence and running... in camoflage, chanting, with their corresponding branch's flag. What is the most fresh in my mind is the motivational, brought-tears-to-my-eyes, blind man jogging with his service dog as his guide... and the man was smiling ear to ear.

Along the route there's bands, loud music blasting from speakers, cheerleaders from local schools, belly dancers, doughnuts, champagne, and of course water stations too.