In the opening summation of his athlete biography page for On Athletics Club, Joe Klecker proudly declares, “I run to feel free.”
So it’s probably no surprise Klecker has traded the monotonous routine of the track for the liberty of the open road.
For Klecker, the race for the 2028 Olympics already has begun. And it’s a journey that will take the former Colorado All-American into somewhat unfamiliar territory, as Klecker shifts his focus from the track to road racing.
That transition already has begun, and it will bring Klecker to the starting line of the Bolder Boulder for the first time when the 45th edition of the annual Memorial Day 10K takes off next week.
Klecker admits it hasn’t been a seamless transition. But that changed earlier this month, when he finished second at the USA Track and Field 25K championship, finishing in 1 hour, 12 minutes, 32 seconds, a mark that would have given Klecker the new American record if not for the time of 1:12:17 turned in by race winner Casey Clinger.
“Doing another year on the track, we thought as much as I could be successful, it might be taking away from some learning that could be happening this year,” Klecker said. “Even in the spring already, I struggled for a few races. They weren’t bad races, but I didn’t achieve my goals. But then I got second at the 25K champs, and I was very close to the win. We were under the existing American record. It was my first really good race on the roads.
“I think I didn’t totally appreciate how different the racing style is. I’m glad we made this transition now, versus going through this growing period a year from now, just because it gives me more time to prepare of the trials for the 2028 Olympics.”
Klecker was a seven-time All-American at CU in track and cross country, but he graduated in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Klecker eventually qualified for the delayed 2020 Olympic games held in Tokyo in 2021, finishing 16th in the 10K. Klecker has qualified twice for the world championships in the 10K.
Shortly after graduation, Klecker was one of the first athletes to sign with On Athletics Club, the local professional club founded by another former CU Buff, Dathan Ritzenhein. Klecker said he didn’t think for a moment the transition to road racing would be without its hurdles, but a few of the differences between the road and the track have been eye-openers.
“On the track, it’s a single-file line. You hop on the rail and there’s not much thinking. The races are run generally pretty smooth,” Klecker said. “On the road, I’ve noticed that every turn, every small incline, it’s a lot punchier. Even a mile into the race you’re feeling like you’re not going to be able to finish. Someone makes a move and you have to go with it. And once you get dropped, it’s very hard to get back. So you have to cover all these moves. Where on the track, it’s just a smooth, slow build. I expected the roads to be like that, and in my first race I was dropped in the first mile.”
Klecker will compete on the USA White team in the men’s International Team Challenge at the Bolder Boulder. That squad will include Drew Hunter — the son of Marc Hunter, winner of the second Bolder Boulder in 1980 — and Aidan Reed, who won the citizen’s race last year. The shift of focus to the road is what has allowed Klecker to enter the Bolder Boulder for the first time.
“When you’re doing track racing, this time of year you’re really just getting into the start of when you want to be really good on the track. And that doesn’t always correlate well with wanting to do a road 10K. Now that my shift is changing to the roads, it just lines up a lot better. It’s a hard time of year, if you’re not doing road racing, to do this hard of a 10K.”
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