I hope you make this a bucket list race if not a repeat race. The course is challenging, and the weather often makes it more challenging because it is often … MORE
I hope you make this a bucket list race if not a repeat race. The course is challenging, and the weather often makes it more challenging because it is often hot, but there are popsicles, 20 water stations for 15k, and beer from spectators in some spots on the course. The energy on the course is comparable to that of big marathons (with a little bit of a down time at mile 4 to 5 on the biggest hill, but there are still spectators at the top) and you will be excited at the finish to have unlimited beer. Hydrate well and do some 4-5% incline hill runs to prepare for mile 4 and 7 of this course. I’ve run 1:23 in 2016 when it was cool and misty and I’m excited to come back every year and try to beat it. My current PR is 1:16 (on a hilly course in december) and nothing would make me happier than matching it on the renowned Boilermaker course! Plan to be dropped off at the start for easiest race day because parking is not easy and you’d have to go before 5 am to park.
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I hope you make this a bucket list race if not a repeat race. The course is challenging, and the weather often makes it more challenging because it is often … MORE
I hope you make this a bucket list race if not a repeat race. The course is challenging, and the weather often makes it more challenging because it is often hot, but there are popsicles, 20 water stations for 15k, and beer from spectators in some spots on the course. The energy on the course is comparable to that of big marathons (with a little bit of a down time at mile 4 to 5 on the biggest hill, but there are still spectators at the top) and you will be excited at the finish to have unlimited beer. Hydrate well and do some 4-5% incline hill runs to prepare for mile 4 and 7 of this course. I’ve run 1:23 in 2016 when it was cool and misty and I’m excited to come back every year and try to beat it. My current PR is 1:16 (on a hilly course in december) and nothing would make me happier than matching it on the renowned Boilermaker course! Plan to be dropped off at the start for easiest race day because parking is not easy and you’d have to go before 5 am to park.
America's Largest 15K is a Must-Run!
Having run the Utica Boilermaker 15k many times, I keep coming back every year because it's such a fun race. The highlights would be the crowd support and the post-race … MORE
Having run the Utica Boilermaker 15k many times, I keep coming back every year because it’s such a fun race. The highlights would be the crowd support and the post-race party at the Saranac Brewery. For a non-marathon race, the Boilermaker 15k has some of the best crowd support I have seen… lots of bands, spectators, and aid stations line the 9.3 mile course (most of the local community comes out to watch). There’s a pretty big hill between miles 3 and 4 but also some good downhill stretches along the way. Crowds are five people deep for the last quarter mile leading up to the finish line… then you get directed to a huge parking lot behind the Saranac Brewery where they serve unlimited beer to runners wearing a bib and have several live bands and entertainment. They use to have an F-16 flyover while they sung the national anthem at the post-race party, but unfortunately, that has been cancelled… they did so a small plane flyover in 2014, though. The “swag” for this race is really the Boilermaker beer glass and the finisher’s pin at the end… not a ton compared to what you get in a marathon, but it’s a 15k after all.