BOULDER, Colo. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on Oct. 2, 2023.
When organizers made the heartbreaking decision to cancel this year's Twin Cities Marathon (TCM), it didn't take long for the national running community to go straight on the mend.
Race directors from across the country opened their registrations to accommodate as many would-be TC Marathoners as possible, some of them — like Boulder, Colorado's Boulderthon — allowed for hundreds of additional participants to run their courses, free of charge.
For two of those runners in Boulder, the open-armed invitation proved especially meaningful. The last-minute entrants who had prepared to run the TCM just one week before, went on to place first in their respective time and age slots in the Oct. 8 race and solidify their qualifications to run in the prestigious Boston Marathon in 2025.
Ben Schneiderman, 27, of Lakewood, Colorado, was both the men's and the overall winner of Boulderthon with a time of 2:22:34. Schneiderman's other recent race accolades include a first-place finish at this year's BOLDERBoulder 10K, one of the largest community running events, boasting about 40,000 participants.
Following close behind Schneiderman was women's champion and third-place finisher overall, 34-year-old Hellen Jepkurgat, who recorded a time of 2:42:17. Jepkurgat, a resident of Grand Prairie, Texas by way of her native Kenya, she's also recently finished atop thousands of runners in both the Los Angeles Marathon, and local Grandma's Marathon, which takes place annually in Duluth, Minnesota.
Officials canceled the TCM just hours before runners were set to hit the pavement on Oct. 2, citing "black flag" weather conditions, which deemed the unseasonably warm environment too extreme and dangerous for the race to commence. At the time, the president of the marathon's parent organization, Twin Cities in Motion, told KARE 11 it was a tough decision but one he doesn't regret, putting the health and safety of TCM runners above all else.
"I know our team made the right decision and I know all of them are here to run another day because we didn't run on Sunday," Dean Orton said. "We've got unfinished business; we're going to get back to work. This is for the running community, that’s who we’re here for and we got to take care of them."
Race director for Boulderthon, Phil Dumontet, said in a press release he felt for both the runners and marathon coordinators.
“As a race director, I know that these decisions do not come easy. As a runner, I also felt for the participants who I know put their heart into training for the race, so I wanted to find a way to help them out," he said, adding, "To see two of them triumph as the winners of our marathon was outstanding.”
More than 20,000 people were registered to run the 2023 race from Minneapolis to St. Paul. Organizers said last week they still need time to determine whether refunds will be distributed. An update is expected on or before Friday, Oct. 20.
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