Boilermaker Road Race

The Boilermaker Road Race is a 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) race in Utica, New York, United States. It draws people from all over the world and as of 2008 had just under 10,000 participants.

The Boilermaker is touted as the largest 15k road race in the United States. It attracts a number of competitive and professional runners. The Boilermaker is extremely important to the community in and around Utica. The race began in 1978 and held its 31st consecutive race on July 13, 2008.The very first Boilermaker had under 300 runners and has grown to 10,000 runners.

The Expo

The Boilermaker Expo is held the Friday and Saturday before the race at the Masonic Care Community. At the expo, runners will be able to pick up their numbers and time chips. The runners will also receive their free goody bags. Anyone is welcome at the expo in order to buy Boilermaker gear, such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, books, etc. There are also some companies giving out free samples of their products.

The Race

15k

The Boilermaker 15k road race is noted as the nation's largest 15k road race. It attracts people from all over the world, even some olympic runners from Ethiopia, Kenya, and other nations. The race starts in East Utica. The runners run the first mile which is called the "International Mile". All along Culver Ave, the many nationalities of Utica perform some music from their culture. The runners then run down the Memorial Parkway to the beautiful Valley View Golf Course. After running through the golf course, they return to the parkway and run to South Utica, where they run down Champlain Ave. They take a right onto Whitesboro St. and finish at the post race party held at the F.X. Matt Brewing Co.

5k

The 5k race is the last 5 kilometers of the 15k race. This race is growing very fast. It started in 2005, and in 2008, it had over 2,000 racers. Just as the 15k race, the race finises at the post race party held at the F.X. Matt Brewing Co.

Youth Run

The Youth Run is held on the Saturday before the 15k race. This is held at the Masonic Care Community in East Utica. Kids from the ages of 4 to 12 are able to run. Also, if the parents don't wnt their child to run alone they are able to run with them. For the 4-5 year olds, there is a ¹/₄ mile race. The 6-7 year olds run a ¹/₂ mile race. For the 8-9 year olds there is a ³/₄ mile race. The 10-12 year old kids run a full mile race. At the end of the race, there are goody bags and ice cream for the kids.

The Post Race Party

When the runners are finally done, there is one of the best parties in the world waiting for them at the finish line. The party is held at F.X. Matt Brewing Co.

Links

* [http://www.boilermaker.com Boilermaker Official Site]