Boilermaker: By the Numbers

In 1978 seven hundred and eighty two runners completed nine point three miles with Ric Rojas winning the very first race. Speaking of miles, runners have to complete forty-nine thousand one hundred and four feet to finish the Boilermaker.  In 2010 the Boilermaker saw four records fall, course records for men's and women's but also the number of participants (15k - 11,525----5k - 3,934).

Some politically minded runners included Timothy Julian the only mayor to run the Boilermaker, which has seen five mayors since its conception. Robert Duffy is the only Lieutenant Governor to run the 15K.  Oh and since the start of the Boilermaker we've seen six different presidents.

Runners experienced the hottest Boilermaker on July, 10th 19-88 at a scorching 92 degrees.

The highest percentage of people running the 15K and 5K are students. The highest percentage of participants in the three mile walk are retired.  Last year 499 people attended the Boilermaker from other countries.  So far forty different countries have been represented in the race.  And if you're betting on a winner, fifty percent of the time someone from Kenya wins the race.  And speaking of our foreign friends, for some reason the boilermaker is foreign territory for people from South Dakota, it's the only state to not have a participant.  People even run this race in other countries, it's called the shadow run which they started in 2008. This year it will take place in Afghanistan.

But for those running the US version they will start and end the race using a B-chip to calculate their times. And speaking of times, only fourteen people have run every single race, including only one woman Shelia Burth. The Boilermaker has only seen three different race directors in 34 years. Runners have crossed the finish line thirty-four times and twelve of those have been under the finish line arch commissioned by former Utica Mayor Edward Hanna in 1999.

Once they've crossed the finish line 300 kegs of ice cold Saranac beer awaits their pallets. 1993 was the first year that Saranac appeared on the glass, prior to that it was Matt Brewery. They also supply 32,000 bottles of water in case anyone wants that as well. And just in case you're looking for a snack, they also pick enough oranges to fill forty cases. This year 55,000 glasses and pins will be awarded to the runners.

And this year for the 35^th running of the Boilermaker Road Race 14,000 competing in the 15K hope to cross the line.