Results/Photos

Date: Sept. 27, 2026 Participant: Mark Leher #12381 Race: 2026 Boulderthon Marathon Distance: 26.2 miles

Strong Early Pace Gives Way to a Hard-Fought Finish Mark Leher completed the 2026 Boulderthon Marathon in 4:53:30, an 11:12 min/mile pace across 26.2 miles. A year after running the Boulderthon Half Marathon in 1:52:25, he stepped up in distance, and this race told a different story: a brisk opening gave way to a steady climb in per-mile pace through the back half. His first six miles ticked by in 58:02, a 9:40 min/mile average, before the effort caught up with him from mile 13 onward, with splits stretching into the 13- and 14-minute range over the closing miles. That opening six-mile stretch stands as the fastest sustained running of his day, holding sub-10 pace before the distance took its toll. The 2026 course redesign trimmed the marathon's net elevation gain by roughly 40 percent, and Leher's race ended, like every Boulderthon distance, on the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder.