BOULDER, Colo. — Youngsters are gearing up for the BOLDERBoulder race on Memorial Day with the BOLD Squad program expecting a record turnout this May.
13-year-old Shaka Young started running in fourth grade, inspiring his younger brother, 10-year-old Rainer Young.
“One day, my brother was running a cross-country race, and I saw that he was pushing his limits, and I wanted to try that for myself,” Rainer said. “So, for the next track season, I raced, and I really enjoyed it.”
“It’s very fun to see him grow as a distance runner, and very enjoyable,” Shaka said.
Both brothers have improved their skills, with each of them running the fastest time at last year’s BOLDERBoulder in their respective age groups. Rainer, in fact, actually set the course record for 10-year-olds in 2025.
“It’s a great event. I love it so much,” Shaka said. “It’s six miles of fun.”
Andy Martin is the senior manager of communications for the BOLDERBoulder, and he is excited to see that more and more kids are interested in running it.
“Last year, we had 4,500 participants run, walk, and jog the race that were under the age of 14,” Martin said. “We’re projecting to probably have about 5,000 in that age range this year.”
Everyone 14 years old and under who registers for the race automatically becomes a member of the BOLD Squad. They have a special training program, BOLD Squad meet-ups with professional athletes, and everyone who finishes the race gets a medal to celebrate their accomplishment.
“It’s a very nice community of people. It’s very enjoyable to see what [times] they can run, too, so you can compare,” Shaka said.
“It got you prepared to run,” Rainer said. “It was just a wonderful community, because you can meet new kids.”
If you would like to register for the BOLDERBoulder, see the BOLD Squad training program and learn about the 2026 BOLD Squad meetups, you can check out the website here.
“The race is for everybody,” Martin said. “We have people that take up to four hours walking the race as young as 6 years old, and as old as 99 this year.”
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