This Monday, May 30, the Bolder Boulder 10K will snake through Boulder, Colorado, proudly proclaiming “Sea Level is for sissies.” This course is jam-packed with bands, comedy acts and more along the race route and incorporates a ton of “mini waves” so runners don’t have to fight their way through a crowd of bodies at the start of the race.
But none of that is why I’m interested in the Bolder Boulder. I’m interested because Boulder has a Barefoot Running Club with over 300 members. How great is that? In fact, there are so many who are going to be racing in bare feet, the race has provided corrals just for barefooters! Interestingly, a lot of these runners are also touting the green benefits of running barefoot; no more running shoes to buy and discard and a closer relationship with nature, to boot.
In addition to the bare feet at the Bolder Boulder, barefoot/natural running advocate Chris McDougall also toured the area, leading a barefoot run up to an area amphitheatre, the Sunrise Amphitheatre. Of course, McDougall’s experience was a little less than ideal, since he was ticketed for hosting the run to the amphitheatre without a permit (the ticket has since been rescinded).
Anyway you look at it, Boulder is becoming a leader in the barefoot/minimalist movement. Is there a barefoot or minimalist movement in your area?