Sub 40 for who? BOLDERBoulder’s fastest club leaves women behind

The BOLDERBoulder 10K needs little introduction. Every Memorial Day, tens of thousands flock to Boulder for this iconic race — a mix of serious competition and quirky community celebration. But beneath the costumes and camaraderie, a clear inequity exists in how the race recognizes athletic achievement.

Participants show up in all forms: elite runners, weekend warriors, costumed characters, wheelchair athletes, flag-carrying veterans and families walking together. The route is lined with live bands, belly dancers, Elvis impersonators, slip ’n slides and even locals offering bacon and tequila shots. For many, the highlight comes at the end: a triumphant victory lap around CU’s 50,000-seat Folsom Field. Seeing yourself on the Jumbotron as thousands cheer is a moment typically reserved for pros. 

Since its founding 47 years ago in 1979, the BOLDERBoulder has grown into one of the largest and most respected community running events in the U.S. It’s a spectacular event.

The race offers a range of awards, including:

• Age Group Champions: The top 15 runners in each age group, starting at age 6, receive medals. 
• Beat Your Age: Anyone who runs faster than their age (e.g. a 45-year-old finishing under 45:00) earns an Ageless Wonder shirt. 
• Bold Squad: All finishers aged 14 and under receive medals.
• And the coveted Sub 40 Club: Runners who break 40 minutes — a 6:26 per mile pace — get a commemorative Sub 40 Club shirt and bragging rights.

This year, while sitting in Folsom Field after walking the race with my parents, wife and youngest daughter, I looked around and noticed a pattern: The Sub 40 shirts, proudly worn by runners, were overwhelmingly worn by men. My oldest daughter, a Fairview High School cross country runner, was nearby with her teammates — arguably the school’s strongest girls team in years. They ran at the Colorado State Championships and took bronze at the nationally competitive Desert Twilight Invitational in Arizona. Yet not a single girl from their team broke 40 minutes. Meanwhile, a sizable portion of the boys team did.

The numbers back it up

Curious about the extent of the disparity, I reviewed the 2025 official results, which provide data for 45,052 of the 52,054 runners. (Note: results for all children under 14 are only published online if their parent or guardian opted in during registration.) Women comprised 52% of the field, and men 48%.

I found that:

• 3.8% of male runners (821 of 21,733) broke 40 minutes. 
• 0.5% of female runners (107 of 23,183) did the same.

Despite making up 52% of the field, women represented just 11.5% of Sub 40 Club finishers. 

When I broke down the Sub 40 Club by age, the disparity sharpened. Men aged 11 to 59 made the cut, while women were in a narrower range, between 14 and 43. This difference is also evident in the number of runners of each age. The graphic below illustrates the disparity clearly.

This gender performance difference is more starkly illustrated by plotting these data cumulatively.

I spoke with Ryan Root, head coach for the Fairview cross country team. “I love the sub 40 shirt, it gives the kids something to strive for. For some of them, the Bolder Boulder was their very first race, let alone a 10k, so it holds something special in their hearts,” he said. “However, I would love to see something that validates their performances equitably.” 

In Molly Weber’s age group (F17), for example, just five girls went sub 40, compared to 40 boys. Weber, who ran a 41:09 (6:38/mile pace), placed 9th in her age group and qualified as an Age Group Champion, but not for the Sub 40 Club.

Weber, a four-year varsity runner at Fairview and incoming D1 recruit at George Washington University, told me:

“The girls on my cross country and track team have long talked about the ‘Sub 40 Club.’ I’ve always wanted to get the T-shirt, a clear mark of a strong Boulder runner.” 

Just as I had noticed the sea of males in Sub 40 shirts in the Folsom Field stands, so had Weber. 

“This year, I noticed how practically all the guys on my team ran sub 40 minutes, while none of the girls did,” she said, “not because we’re not hard-working and fast — in fact, our state track team was only women this year — but because it is a very challenging time to hit as young women, especially on a hilly, high-elevation course.”

Jake Zajac, former Fairview captain who ran a blazing 33:36 (5:25/mile) and placed 5th in his age group (M20), agreed:

“I believe the Bolder Boulder creates unfair advantages for men when it comes to the Sub 40 Club. I’ve seen teammates who train year-round for track and cross country — athletes who are key contributors to their team’s success — not get recognized as fast runners,” he said. “Honestly, I think it’s total B.S.” 

In his age group, 22 males broke 40 minutes. Just two females did.

What’s the equivalent standard?

If 40 minutes is a meaningful benchmark for male runners, what would it be for women? Using BOLDERBoulder 2025 results, I found the female finisher who placed at the same percentile as the last Sub 40 male finisher. Her time: 49:54. 

That might be a more equitable benchmark, not as a consolation prize, but as meaningful recognition of high performance.

To be clear, I’m not trying to tear down a beloved event — the BOLDERBoulder is a Boulder institution — but instead to spark a thoughtful conversation about equity and how we celebrate athletic achievements.

I reached out to BOLDERBoulder about the race data and the Sub 40 standard. They responded to the data questions but did not address the question about the standard.

I focused this analysis on the 2025 results, but a multi-year review would be worthwhile to determine a fair and consistent female benchmark.

So BOLDERBoulder — what about an equivalent T-shirt for female runners in 2026? Not a participation ribbon. A real, earned marker of excellence, where it truly lives?