Posted: May 15, 2005

Athletics: Frank Shorter Named Official Starter of the 2005 BolderBOULDER

BOULDER, Colo. - (May 12, 2005) - 1972 Olympic gold medalist and BolderBOULDER co-founder Frank Shorter has been named as the official starter of the 27th BolderBOULDER 10K race on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 2005. The ever-popular Boulder resident and two-time Olympian will start all 79 waves beginning at 7am.

After the last wave is launched, Shorter plans to jump in and run to the finish line. "I'm looking forward to it," said Shorter, "This is our community event. It's amazing to see the runners and all the volunteers that come out to help at the race. We're all in this together this year."

As a member of the U.S. Olympic marathon team, he won the gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany and at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the Yale grad won the silver medal. He is a five-time national 10,000 meter champion and a four-time national cross country champion. Shorter, 57, was a strong competitor internationally having won the Fukuoka Marathon four consecutive years. He was the World Masters Biathlon Champion in 1989 and a gold medalist at the 1971 Pan American Games. He won the third BolderBOULDER in 1981.

More than 45,000 runners, joggers, walkers and wheelchair racers are expected to participate in the 6.2-mile course through the streets Boulder weaving their way to finish at University of Colorado's Folsom Field. As participants enter Folsom Field more than 100,000 cheering spectators are expected to greet them. The traditional Memorial Day tribute will follow the race at 11am and the BolderBOULDER International Team Challenge tops off the day with team introductions beginning at 11:20am.

About BolderBOULDER
The Celestial Seasonings BolderBOULDER 10K, a Running USA Founding Member, is one of the largest road races in the world and the largest timed 10K in the world. The race attracts up to 50,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers and draws professional racing teams from all over the world to compete for the largest non-marathon prize purse in road racing. The race starts at the north end of 30th Street in Boulder near the First National Bank of Colorado, winds through neighborhoods with live music and entertainment at every corner, and finishes in the University of Colorado's Folsom Field. More than 100,000 spectators watch the festivities from inside the stadium and along the course. Every year, the race makes donations to local charities that provide volunteers to help stage the race. Over the years, beneficiaries have included the Boulder Humane Society, Attention Homes, Younglife, Boulder Optimists, local schools, and church youth groups.

The BolderBOULDER is proud to be partnered with the following primary sponsors: Celestial Seasonings, Frontier Airlines and Millennium Hotel. The 27th BolderBOULDER will be held on Memorial Day, May 30, 2005.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.