Boilermaker: Volunteers, A Well-Oiled Machine

It's been said, you're judged by the company you keep. For the Boilermaker crew, the biggest event in our area would not be possible without the dedication of those who give countless hours to help pull it off. Fifteen year volunteer Chris Delmonte says, "It's camaraderie, everybody gets together and for one day everybody works as one. I really enjoy it though, I enjoy being able to do something, I am not a runner so this is for me the Boilermaker."

            Just like many of the runners, volunteers have been giving their blood sweat and tears for many years. And they've witnessed boilermaker going from a race to an event. For fifteen years Dan Broedel has given up the second Sunday in July to volunteer. He says, "Boy it's grown so fast and it's grown into something the whole community, the whole Mohawk Valley's involved in. It's great to be part of it, look forward to it every year, you get to see all the volunteers, work with all the different people."

Runner and Volunteer Shirley Oddy says, "It's been amazing, they started with 800 runners and it's progressed to 14,000 this year, it's unbelievable. It's a whole weekend experience, a community event, you get involved with everybody, you see friends you haven't seen in a while, we'll all come home, it's really nice."

            Completing the grueling nine point three miles that is the boilermaker road race gives competitors a sense of achievement and pride, and those who make the event happen share those same sentiments. Twenty year volunteer Bill Barry says, "You know I can't say enough about what its done for the Utica area. I'm proud to be a member of this committee. We bring a lot of people in from several different states and I think even countries. I meet new people every year as I'm volunteering and we've had the same group volunteering at our water station for years, it's a well-oiled machine the Boilermaker committee."