Date: Sept. 28, 2025 Participant: Matthew Melsen #12530 Race: 2025 Boulderthon Marathon Distance: 26.2 miles Weather: Perfect running weather with temperatures in the 50's to 70's and nice cloud cover

Strong Start with Consistent Performance Matthew Melsen demonstrated a consistent racing strategy at the 2025 Boulderthon Marathon. Notably, he kept a steady pace in the early stages, with mile splits consistently under 6:30 per mile for the first five miles, showing strong initial momentum. During this stretch, he advanced to 2nd place in the M35-39 division by the 5th mile marker, a commendable position, especially given the large field of 2,678 participants. As the race progressed, his paces varied, with splits gradually slowing, resulting in the final stretch averaging around 7:25 minutes per mile. Although dropping to 8th in his division by the race's end, Matthew maintained a commendable effort, finishing with a total time of 3:14:39. Looking at the splits, focusing on maintaining pace consistency over the entire distance could elevate future performances. Still, his finish among the top 3% in the overall field demonstrates solid endurance and suggests potential to refine pacing strategies effectively.