Boilermaker 2019

by Christine Bishop and Friends

The Boilermaker is one of the premier races of summer. It has thousands compete many of them from foreign countries in pursuit of lucrative cash prizes while others go to it for great beer and fantastic after parties. I surveyed members before and after the event. Along with their statements are a raft of stats and photos to savor.

Before

Jon and Meg Louden

Yes we will be running it. My goal is sub 58 and this is my 9th year in a row and 6th for Meg.

Jon Rocco

I will be back running the Boilermaker again this year. It will be number 33. Having grown up in the area, my first was in 1983 (age 16). If not for the bad timing of an appendectomy at age 40, this would be my 29th in a row. I have never used any of the pint glasses you receive from registering. No more goals with this race. It is great just to continue the tradition, see family and friends, and enjoy the post race festivities.

Jon Golden with wife Dee

Yes. I’m running the Boilermaker this year. I don’t have a particular time goal since I’ll be about 10’days post marathon. This is the only race I’ve done every year since I’ve been running .. it all started in 2009 ... so this will be 11.

After

Danielle on right with friends at Boilermaker

Danielle Maslowsky

Boilermaker never disappoints especially if you can accept there is a high chance of running 9.3 miles in the hot humid weather through Utica. This year was no exception, it was hot and humid but we caught a slight break because the sun stayed behind the clouds at least for part of the time and at points there was a slight breeze. Unfortunately, the start of the race was delayed by 15 minutes due to (what we found out later) a homicide on the course pre race around mile 1. The announcer passed the time with some useless trivia, I made one more stop to the porta potty and then the gun went off! The sea of 15,000 people started inching up to finally start their watches and cross the start line. As always, I should have started closer to avoid some of the crowds. My first mile was the slowest as I tried to get around people and find a comfortable pace to settle into. As soon as I did the hill in the golf course was staring me in the face. As difficult as course is with it’s challenging hills you get rewarded with beautiful views, lots and lots of water, ice stations and sprinklers, the most phenomenal crowd support and the biggest after party I have ever been apart of - it’s one of my all time favorite races! There are a ton of bands, DJs, families, local businesses, pets, zoo animals and a man on stilts just to name a few - cheering the runners. My two favorite attractions on course are the percussion band and the Latin American dancers. They are both near the end of the race and it’s the exact energy I need to get to the finish line. The next round of fun begins after you can catch your breath, have some more water or even chocolate milk, grab a picture or two with friends and make your way to the biggest post race after party. The band is loud and entertaining, the beer is flowing and the runners are happy to be celebrating with family and friends. This is my 5th Boilermaker. My friends and I always meet at the Polish Community Center and have delicious food and a fantastic time. It’s the perfect definition of “Work hard, play hard”

Brittany Mangione

Boilermaker 2019* This was my 5th time running this race over the years, and each year brings new memories! It’s always exciting and fun to run into different friends along the way. This year was on the “cooler” side compared to other years, but those popsicles and freeze pops still kept flowing and were total lifesavers along the 9.3 mile trek! The volunteers, bands, and supporters kept the energy high during the entire course. My boyfriend came to support and cheer me on, which meant the world to me. And this was the first race I actually ran side by side with my dad all the way to the finish! Thank you Boilermaker Road Race for another epic race!!

Katina Greene and Son Tyler

Another Boilermaker is in the books and Tyler’s 3rd consecutive time running it starting at age 12. Pictures are the last 3 years and boy has he grown taller. We will see what next year’s Boilermaker holds.