Brandon Fuller

South Boulder Peak

South Boulder Peak remained as the only peak in Boulder skyline that I haven’t done yet. Probably because it is the furthest and probably because I never had an invite. Always enjoy going with somebody when running down in Boulder. Else I get lazy and just run near home. Anyway, tonight was the 3rd in a series of 3 runs put on by a group of Boulder runners. Just a chance to get out with fellow runners and enjoy an evening run of pain. I skipped the prior 2 because of various excuses. But I made time today because I wanted to get South Boulder checked off my list.

I headed out at 4:30, got gas, and was at the South Mesa Trailhead by 5:15. First one there! That would be the last thing I won that day! The group gathered as we got to 5:30 and we set off at about 5:37. The FKT to the top is about 45 minutes. I had myself figured for about an hour but I really wasn’t sure how far we were going. Introducing the gang!

JV shot himself out of a canon and was off in the front. He had a red shirt on so I could see him as we went up the valley for the first 10 minutes or so. I took my time at the back of the pack. Getting warmed up, shooting video, etc. I wasn’t in this for the time, just the adventure. In the pre-run briefing, they mentioned a turn. I thought I missed it after about 20 minutes in so I started coming back down to double-check a turn. Found a guy named Bill there who was part of our group. He told me I was doing the right thing so the backtrack was unnecessary. Oh well. So Bill and I struck up a conversation and continued up together for most of the rest of the journey.

Just before hitting the summit, we saw the group coming back down in smaller packs. The cool down was over and they were headed back down. Apparently, Dave beat out JV by a minute or so. Anyway, Bill and I topped out within seconds of each other. I think it was 66 minutes by my splits. Took in the view and headed down. It was slicker than expected on the way down. My normally grippy shoes were not gripping. So I slowed down and took it easy. Not worth falling today. I have a race in about 9 days and I don’t need any new excuses.

On the way down, I took a wrong turn and went back via a different longer trail. It was probably more scenic but I got a little nervous for a second till I figured out where I was. Got back down to the truck and called it a run. Saw Tim in the parking lot and chatted for a few.

This was the fastest group I had ever run with. Organized by JV and Dave Mackey, I didn’t expect anything different. I have some work to do to be able to hang with that pack. But my life just doesn’t allow me to run hills everyday without some major change occurring. But I am happy with my progress for now. Here is the live action!

I went 7.04 miles with an elevation gain of 3204 feet in 114 minutes. View my full GPS data.