BOULDER, Colo. – The upward trajectory of one of the fastest-growing running events in the country continued at the 2026 edition of Boulderthon powered by lululemon. The event hosted its largest field to date, with over 17,000 registrants for its fifth annual event that took place Sept. 27. Finisher totals rose by 20% year-over-year, with runners representing all 50 states and 38 countries. Plus, the event’s legacy of recruiting top athletes from across the country and the globe led to a new Colorado state women’s record in the 5K.
“It speaks volumes to us as organizers to see everyday athletes, elite competitors and local leaders taking notice and getting involved with Boulderthon at all levels,” said Alexa Squillaro, event director of Boulderthon. “Among the field of participants today were some of the fastest runners in the country. In addition, we had legendary pros like Jenny Simpson and Boulder City Council Member Tina Marquis helping us mark this year’s event as our official race starters. Their participation shows us that we’re on the right track with not just our growth, but our investment back into the Boulder community and the running community at large.”
The standout finish of the day was in the 5K. Nigsti Molla Hagos clocked 15:26, which secured the win for the women’s division and broke the Colorado state women’s 5K record. The new record comes just one year after it was set at last year’s Boulderthon 5K by Evelyn Kemboi. Hago’s bested Kemboi’s time by 14 seconds. Hagos’ record-setting time secured her a $10,000 bonus on top of her $5,000 prize for taking first place. The 5K men’s division winner Morgan Beadlescomb was just shy of setting the Colorado state men’s record in the 5K with a time of 13:47.
In the keystone 26.2 distance, Finnian Jacobson-Schulte, the men’s marathon champion and first-place finisher, completed the 26.2 miles in 2:30:18. He finished a full two minutes ahead of the men’s marathon second-place finisher, Zachary Marmol. Spencer Webb took the third-place spot for the men’s marathon. The women’s marathon course was led by Sasha Neglia, who finished with a time of 2:58:39. Second- and third-place finishers for the women’s marathon were Relena Ribbons and Esme Marini-Rapoport. The top non-binary finisher was Hayden Coffing with a time of 2:58:28.
Other top finishers included:
- Reed Fischer, 1:04:33, Half Marathon Men’s Division
- Emily Durgin, 1:16:42, Half Marathon Women’s Division
- Kaige Sellers, 1:47:38, Half Marathon Nonbinary Division
- Dylan Van Der Hock, 31:35, 10K Men’s Division
- Hannah Reinhardt, 36:05, 10K Women’s Division
- Hunter Marquez, 57:37, 10K Nonbinary Division
- Joey Carducci, 23:38, 5K Nonbinary Division
The event also hosted the Boulder Country Day School Kids Run, welcoming 140 kids to join in on the race weekend activities. Full results are now available online.
As the hometown race grows, it has continued to enhance its giveback initiatives to the local community. Earlier this year, Boulderthon announced its new local giveback initiative to refresh Tom Watson Park, a known runner’s hub in the Boulder area. Boulderthon agreed to contribute $50,000, with an extra incentive for locals to get involved in the community project by pledging to match every community dollar donated up to an additional $50,000, totaling an investment of $100,000. The campaign will run through Dec. 31, with locals having until the final day of the campaign to make their donations towards the Tom Watson Park revitalization. The campaign is a partnership with PLAY Boulder Foundation, the official non-profit partner of the City of Boulder’s Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information on Boulderthon, powered by lululemon, visit www.boulderthon.org, and follow the event on Facebook and Instagram.
ABOUT BOULDERTHON POWERED BY LULULEMON
Boulderthon powered by lululemon is a 501(c)(3) community nonprofit founded in 2021 by Phil Dumontet to bring a world-class marathon to Boulder. In only its fifth year, the event generated an estimated economic impact of $13.9 million locally and regionally. The race has grown from 1,600 participants to more than 15,000 participants, making it one of the fastest-growing races in the U.S. The event was recently recognized by USA Today as one of the Top 10 races in the U.S. Outside of race weekend, the organization leads ongoing volunteer and environmental adoption efforts, hosts free year-round community events, and has a program to promote accessibility to racing through no-cost bibs. The race offers a full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K and Kids Run. The marathon is a Boston Marathon Qualifier and a USATF Sanctioned Event, measured by a Level A USATF Course Measurer. For more information, visit www.boulderthon.org.