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Monday will mark the 23rd running of the Bolder Boulder 10K. And new for this year's elite race will be a slight change to the elite runners' criterium-style course, providing an added challenge for competitors.

As always, the elite teams will start in the stadium and make their way out to Folsom Street, where they will run several laps between Boulder Creek and South Street. But this year, the runners will make the climb back into the stadium at around mile two for a lap around Folsom Field before resuming the race on the streets and making the final climb to the stadium for the finish.

"It will be like playing at Mile High vs. Boulder High," said Rich Castro, pro athlete coordinator for the race.

Race officials hope the change will make the race more exciting for spectators in the stadium. It will also add a new dimension to race strategy, forcing runners to take into account an extra climb.

"I'm in favor of it. It should be a positive factor for our team," said Clint Wells, member of the U.S. men's team, who is a strength runner used to running hill workouts at Boulder's altitude.

Wells will be joined by former CU teammate Shawn Found and Peter de la Cerda of Alamosa in representing the United States.

Wells, a 1998 graduate of CU, was a four-time All-American while running for the Buffs. Wells placed fifth at the NCAA steeplechase his junior year and just missed the Olympic team by 1.8 seconds in the event last year. In 1999, Wells ran in the 12K event at the world cross-country championships. This past March, he ran the 4K event in Ostend, Belgium, where he paced the U.S. to its best team finish in 15 years.

Wells showed his 3K speed last weekend in winning the Downtown 3000 in record time. Come Memorial Day, he should be ready to make his way through a tough Bolder Boulder field.

"We know it's hard to race up here," said Wells, talking about his team's strategy. "It's easy to go out too fast, too early. We'll be conservative the first half, then pick up the pace the second half and try to pick people off."

Wells trains with former teammate Found under coach Arturo Barrios. Found graduated from CU in 1994, the year Wells joined the program.

Found was a three-time All-American while at CU. In 1994, he won the Big 8 indoor 5,000-meter title and took second in the event at the NCAA indoor championships. Since college, his focus has been on the 10,000-m. Found was the alternate in the event for last year's Olympic team.

Found was a member of the 1997 world cross team and raced to a ninth-place finish in the 4K event at the 1999 World Cross Country Championships, but he is mainly known for his prowess on the roads.

"I'm a road guy who can still run track," said Found, who will make his marathon debut next October in Chicago.

Found underscored his respect for the tough international field at the Bolder Boulder. He hopes his team can average 15th place between the three of them. Based on last year's results, that would give them a top-five finish.

"The race will go out hard," said Found. "He who dies the least wins."

As always, the runners to watch are the East Africans. Castro called the teams from Kenya and Ethiopia "the New York Yankees of the sport." And with the addition of the extra climb, Castro added that teams such as Ecuador and Peru, rife with climbers, could be a factor.

Last year's women's winner, Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia, won the gold medal in the 10,000-m in Sydney, but will leave the racing to her younger teammates at the Bolder Boulder this year. Although another 1-2-3 finish from the Ethiopian women is unlikely, Kenya will have to work hard to take the team title away from them.

Deena Drossin, Sylvia Mosqueda and Milena Gusac will represent the U.S. women. Drossin trains in Alamosa and was ranked the No. 1 road racer in the country last year. She finished fourth in the 1999 Bolder Boulder, competed in the Olympic 10,000-m last year, and set the American record in the 5K in 2000. Drossin is a four time U.S. 8K cross country champion and last year's U.S. 15K champion on the roads.

Twelve countries have assembled full teams for the women's race and 15 for the men's. The women will start first at 11:35 a.m., followed by the men at 12:17 p.m.

* This article appeared in the Colorado Daily (May 25, 2001).