Boulder Dash 5K Fitness Run/Walk & Corporate Challenge
Boulder Dash 5K:
Quarry Hills, Good
Company & 33:46
A tough course, a strong finish, and Cade by my side
My second 5K and I knew what I was getting into
Having already run the Atlanta Publix 5K, I showed up to the Boulder Dash with a little more confidence under my belt. That first race taught me what 3.1 miles actually feels like — the nervous energy at the start, the wall you hit somewhere in the middle, and that surge you somehow find when the finish line comes into view. I knew the playbook. What I didn't know was just how unforgiving the quarry terrain was going to be.
Joining me was Cade, an F45 coach so yeah, I was running alongside someone whose entire job is fitness. No pressure at all. But that's exactly what made it fun. Having a training-minded person next to you changes the energy of a race. It's less about survival and more about pushing yourself to actually enjoy the effort.
On the Course
Those quarry hills were no joke
Let me be clear about something: when they say the Boulder Dash runs through a quarry, they mean it. The hills on that course were straight up and straight down no gradual inclines, no mercy. You'd crest one thinking the worst was behind you, and there'd be another one waiting like it had a personal vendetta.
“Straight up. Straight down. No apologies. The quarry hills were the kind that make you question your life choices and then feel incredible for conquering them.”
But here's the thing about a tough course: it makes finishing mean more. Every steep descent was earned by the climb that came before it. Cade kept the energy up and the pace honest, and together we kept moving forward taking it in, not racing the clock, just running our race. Casual and present, but definitely not coasting.
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Straight up, straight down relentless but rewarding
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F45 coach energy keeping the pace honest and the mood light
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Tough course, strong finish every second earned
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Building on the Atlanta Publix 5K with another strong showing
The finish line
Tough but finished strong that's the whole story
Crossing that finish line at 33:46 felt genuinely good. Not because the time was perfect, but because the course was hard and we didn't let it break us. We soaked it in, laughed through the brutal hills, and kept moving the whole way. That's what a 5K should feel like.
Between the Atlanta Publix and now this I'm two races in and already thinking about the next one. There's something about signing up, showing up, and finishing that gets into your system. The Boulder Dash delivered a tough quarry course, great company, and a finish I'm proud of. Not a bad way to spend a Friday in April.
Thanks for running it with me, Cade. Now let's find the next one.