BOULDER, Colo. — An estimated 50,000 runners raced in the Bolder Boulder citizen's race -- for non-professional runners -- Monday morning. But only one woman could finish first.
Laura Thweatt calls Boulder home. Now she's won her hometown race.
"Not quite what I was expecting to do today, but it happened and I’m pretty pumped about it," Thweatt said. "It was 34 minutes and 59 seconds. I told a close friend of mine who I race with that if I broke 35 minutes I’d be happy. So I broke 35 minutes."
Thweatt has done a lot of running in her life, and she’s really, really fast.
"This was my debut marathon at New York in 2015," Thweatt said, pointing to a framed newspaper article displayed in her living room. "I was seventh overall."
The living room of Thweatt’s home tells the story of overcoming pain -- a pain and suffering she admits comes with distance running.
"I look at this wall and I just am reminded that I can do hard things. That there really isn’t anything that I can’t do," Thweatt said. "You can do hard things. In and out of the sport, because that’s life for all of us."
Thweatt’s hometown community in Boulder knows how to show up for its people. Fans lined the course Monday to cheer her on.
"I heard 'Laura' throughout the entire course," Thweatt said. "I was like, oh my gosh, I’m so honored that so many people are out here cheering."
It's the same community she helped earlier this year.
Thweatt is a track and cross-country coach at Monarch High School. Six of her students lost their homes in the Marshall Fire. She helped raise nearly $30,000 and collected clothes and shoes from sponsors to get them back on their feet.
"We didn’t know who of our kids had homes, who didn’t, who was displaced, who wasn’t. It was just an extremely heartbreaking and devastating time for the whole community here," Thweatt said. "It reminds us that yes, running is an individual sport. But it’s also a team sport. It’s also a community sport."
Running is tough. Being a good person is easier.
"To see all of that, it just reminded me of why I love what I do and why I love being part of the community that I’m a part of," Thweatt said. "That’s why I love running so much. It’s hard. We’re all out there suffering. But we can respect that and all rally behind one another, regardless of the cause."
Thweatt is a full-time professional athlete running for Saucony, but didn’t run in the professional category Monday because she’s recovering from an injury. She’s training now for the U.S. Olympic marathon trials coming up in 2024.
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