BOULDER, Colo. — On Friday, BOLDERBoulder officials announced the race starters for 2025: CU Athletic Director Rick George and 100-year-old CU athletics superfan Peggy Coppom.
Despite never having run the race herself, Peggy's history with the Bolder Boulder dates back to the beginning, when she offered runners a drink of water from her hose.
"The very first one ran right past my house and I happened to be outside with the hose on in the front yard. So I’ve been kind of involved with the Bolder Boulder since it started,” she said.
Little did Peggy know that neighbors with hoses, sprinklers and even slip ‘n slides would become Bolder Boulder traditions.
At 100 years old, Coppom is not just a longtime supporter of local athletics; she is a legend in the Boulder community. She and her twin sister Betty, known as “The CU Twins,” attended over 2,500 sporting events at the University of Colorado before Betty died in 2020.
CU Athletic Director and fellow race start Rick George said the Bolder Boulder and CU have had a long partnership.
“It brings a lot of eyeballs to our community and to the race and to the university,” George said.
But he predicted that Peggy Coppom will likely be the star of the show this year. As race starters, they’ll fire off the starting gun for each of the 97 waves.
“I’m just her sidekick, I’ll take over if she wants to rest,” George said.
Coppom, who has lived in Boulder for 85 years, says she’s ready to support her hometown.
“Anything that can show how blessed we are to live here in Boulder, I like,” she saidTop of Form
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