Annual Memorial Day 10K Wraps-Up in Boulder

Runners from Ethiopia are the winners of the Bolder Boulder elite 10K race while two Colorado residents were the top man and woman in the citizens’ race.

Belete Assefa was the top finisher in the men’s elite race while Meskerem Assefa was the first woman to cross the finish line at a packed Folsom Field at the University of Colorado on Monday.

In the citizens’ race, U.S. Air Force pilot Ben Payne finished in 30:40 while Brittni Hutton of Alamosa finished in about 34 minutes.

An estimated 51,000 people, including the actor Sean Astin, turned out to compete in the 37th annual Memorial Day event. Storms that have dropped rain off and on all month held off but one group of runners wore floaties just in case.