Bolder Boulder ’09 – Twitter, Tech, and Bacon
Photo by Brian Scaglia, www.scaglia.org
Beer, bands, belly dancers, bagpipes, and yes, even bacon (at a presumably “unofficial” aid station) were all featured in the 2009 Bolder Boulder. These are among the things we expect in Boulder on Memorial Day. One element that Bolder Boulder is known for is the “unexpected”, generally in the form of costumes and antics of runners and supporters alike. Another element that changes from year to year is the role technology plays in the race.
Of course there’s the component most obvious to the runners, the RFID shoe tag. The race has stumbled in this area in the past, but this technology for timing runners seems to be getting more reliable. Results were available immediately after the race (and as of this posting, still are) here. Runners are provided with several pieces of data, including overall time, mile splits, and average pace, in addition to place in division and overall. Verizon also jumped in the fray, offering race results via text message. Text bib to Verizon at 66196.
Television coverage of a mass amateur running race is what it is. Although I didn’t watch, channel 7 was to have live cut-ins within its newscasts all morning, with cameras at the start and finish lines. Streaming video via Internet is getting easier, and the race featured live feeds from about 3 points on the course. While it was a reasonable attempt, the live Internet coverage was only fair. The cycling world has really taken some good strides in presenting live coverage via Internet, as demonstrated in this year’s Tour of California, and even the recent collegiate nationals in Fort Collins. Certainly Bolder Boulder will catch on.
Twitter users were actually a group that provided some real time feedback. Using the hashtags #bolderboulder and #bb09, runners ‘tweeted’ (I hate that word) their experiences, from the crowd, to rice and adzuki bean chips provided in the lunch. Several runners made use of Twitpic to publish their photos, including the popular bacon station. Curiously, the race’s Twitter account, @BolderBOULDER09, posted only 1 tweet (I still hate that word) after their announcement, “6 days to go”.
With all the tech in the background, my sincere props to those who just laced up their shoes, went out, took in the Boulder air, and raced their hearts out, regardless of technology. No iPhones, iPods, i-anything – just the real run that is the core of Bolder Boulder… plus the bacon!
Denver Running Blog Offers Training Tools & Information
A promising new blog has been launched to support runners in the Denver area. Denver Running provides resources for runners to network together in an online community, along with tools such as an online training log. You can keep your training log private or share it with other members, which lets you participate in community goals and challenges. The site tracks and reports on members, and ranks them in categories such as “top runners” and “most active members”. The pace calculator tool also helps to set goals and share them with the community.
Denver Running is a project by Denver runner, Chris Dellinger. Chris has a passion for running and wants to provide a good resource to share all things related to running in the Denver and surrounding areas. Content and community are just getting started, so check out Denver Running for some nice free tools and to get involved in a Denver based running community.
Run A 5K Race Via Twitter?
For those athletes looking for an excuse to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, you may have your answer. The Tweet 5K is just like a regular 5K road race, except that…. well… Okay, it’s nothing like a regular 5K road race. It does have sponsors, including (appropriately) internet-based Seesmic Desktop and Zappos.com, you can get a t-shirt, they offer prizes, and it’s a fund raiser (beneficiary is Athletes For A Cure). Oh, and you’re supposed to run. But it’s the actual running of the race that’s, well, different.
To “compete” in the race, you run a time trial on any measured course or 400 meter track. Record your time and then report in via your Twitter account. You get three tries, and the “race” concludes the evening of May 30th. All times are to be reported on the honor system, and winners must verify their time with a documented “real” race time within 3% of their Tweet 5K time.
While there have been many other report-your-own-time races, and virtual races, the Tweet 5K is presumably the first race promoted and managed totally via Twitter. Indeed, the tag line of the event is “the first race produced entirely in 140 characters” – the size limit of a Twitter message, or tweet (sigh, I hate using that word…).
Regardless of the fact that this event offers no real head to head competition, it will present an interesting case study of how Twitter and other web 2.0 tools can be leveraged for event marketing and fund raising. With a $1000 cash prize offered, it’s significant enough to draw attention. Participants using the #tweet5k hashtags create a self-perpetuating community (see http://twitter.pbworks.com/Hashtags for explanation of hashtags). And they do a great job of keeping momentum with their tweets announcing daily prizes such as a pair of running shoes, a slot in the NYC Marathon, and even cash money!
So if you’ve not used Twitter and are looking for an excuse to try it out, the Tweet 5K (tweet5k.org) will give you a chance to join an active-minded community and try out some of the features of Twitter. An account is easy to set up, and you might find it to be useful. And yes, Racing Colorado is on Twitter and provides updates on events relevant to endurance athletes in Colorado. Feel free to follow us at twitter.com/racingcolorado.
Lance Armstrong Pushes For Cycling Stage Race In Colorado
This just emerging from the rumor stage… 850 KOA radio is announcing that they’ve confirmed with Governor Bill Ritter that he and Lance Armstrong have had two meetings to discuss bringing a major stage race to Colorado. Gov. Ritter stated that they discussed the return of the Coors Classic, although it’s unlikely that Coors has been secured as a sponsor. In fact, among the topics discussed in the meetings was reported to have been potential sponsor support.
Other Colorado race directors have recently been looking at bringing in a new stage race to the state, but a major event has yet to be developed. The star power of Lance may be the ingredient needed to really give legs to such an event. His part-time residency in Colorado has helped to bring the spotlight to the state, especially legitimate when he actually races. His participation in races such as the Leadville 100 and 12 Hours of Snowmass brought national attention to the competitive Colorado mountain bike scene. And according to Lance’s Twitter feed, he convinced Levi Leipheimer to join him in this year’s Leadville 100.
Since it seems to make the news any time Lance pees (or doesn’t pee), we’ll certainly all be the first to know if anything develops…
Upcoming Colorado Events- Ralston Creek Half Marathon
- Valentine`s Day 5K
- 3W Heart Throb Run 5K
- Cupid`s Undie Run
- Love `em or Leave `em Valentine`s Day 5K Run/Walk
- Dick`s Sporting Goods Loveland Sweetheart Classic
- Dick`s Sporting Goods Loveland Sweetheart Classic
- HRCA Sunday Bloody Sunday 5k Challenge
- Super Bowl 5K
- Gold Rush Nordic Race Series
- Super Sunday Fun Run 5K
- SnowDash Extreme 5K / Echo Mnt. Colorado
- 5 k Moonlight Snowshoe
Oakley Offer