CU Buffs alums to team up in Bolder Boulder pro race
May 23—Makena Morley jogged past nearly every square inch of Boulder during her time with the Colorado track and cross country programs.
Morley, like any of the countless distance specialists to pass through town while competing for the Buffaloes, ingratiated herself into the robust local running community. Yet also like any CU standout, past or present, Morley essentially was forbidden from participating in the marquee event that helped put Boulder into the consciousness of distance racers across the nation, the Bolder Boulder.
Morley will get her chance this year.
When the 44th annual Bolder Boulder sets off on Memorial Day, Morley will make her race debut in the International Team Challenge as part of a team of CU Buffs alums who will comprise one of the two USA teams in the field. Morley will be joined by Sara Vaughn and former CU teammate Carrie Verdon.
Verdon finished third in the pro race last year as part of a US team of runners based in Colorado, but this year the local flavor instead will be filled by former CU runners.
"I'm super excited. It always looked so fun and I've always wanted to do it. Recently, it just hasn't fit into the schedules," Morley said. "I was really excited for this year to be able to fit it in the schedule. It's nice that you're finishing right in the stadium. I'll feel right at home, so that will be great.
"I'm excited to get back. I've only been back a couple times and I try to get there once a year. But I've never done any races in Boulder, so I'm really excited to be back. I used to do all my easy days with the team when I was there on a lot of where this course is."
Morley was part of CU's 2018 women's cross country national championship team, finishing eighth in a race won by teammate Dani Jones. When Morley graduated from CU she was the program record holder in the outdoor 10K (since broken by Abby Nichols), but after leaving Boulder she relocated to her home turf in Montana and soon turned her attention to marathons.
Morley was qualified for the US Olympic marathon trials in February but an injury prevented her from competing. She returned to form for the Los Angeles Marathon in late March but isn't planning any track competitions this summer, instead hoping to use the Bolder Boulder as a competitive bridge to the fall when she plans to compete in another marathon.
"I do love these shorter road races," Morley said. "And I think it always is super-helpful for those marathons to get in those smaller races."
Unlike Morley, Vaughn and Verdon are Bolder Boulder veterans. At this point, all three former Buffs are seasoned pros, and still the consensus is that few events match the fervor and excitement of the Bolder Boulder.
"Having people cheer for me that truly know me and running on familiar streets is super fun," Verdon said. "But I think the entire atmosphere in general is what really sets it apart. Every single part on the course is filled with people who are just happy to be there cheering. You can feel that energy. And then running through the stadium with thousands and thousands of people cheering for you, truly I've never done anything like it, and I've done a lot of big races. That part is always so special. I just dream about running through that stadium."
