Every town has their own traditions, a festival with fireworks, parades on Memorial Day, but where I'm from our biggest event is the largest 15k in the world. At first, I was like, it couldn't have been a walk, or maybe a BBQ every year, or even one of those food competitions where everyone brings a dish. After I completed my first Boilermaker I had one of those "ohhhhhh, that's why people do this" moments.
For those of you who don't know, the Boilermaker is the largest 15k in the world, starting at the Utica Boiler and ending at the Saranac Brewery. Known for the dreaded "golf course hill," 15,000 runners, and the free beer at the end everyone in Utica can be found along the 9.3-mile course on the second Sunday in July.
The 39th Annual Boilermaker just passed last weekend. The streets were lined with fans, as usual, the beer was flowing at the post-race party, and families and friends were reunited for their yearly traditions. The Boilermaker is one of my favorite days of the year, coming from someone who really doesn't enjoy running, but besides the 15k where your legs are moving as fast as you can make them, it's really not about running.
It's about community. It's about 15,000 runners coming together every year for the sake of tradition. It's about 39 years of building something small in good old Utica, New York to creating a world renowned race. It's about starting from barely being able to run a 5k and finishing the boilermaker with a smile.
Yet again, it's more than those 15,000 runners, too. It's about the volunteers who line the course with water, ice, and popsicles on one of the hottest mornings of the summer. It's about the bands every half a mile which make the race so much more enjoyable. It's about all the volunteers who start planning next year's race the day after the previous one ended.
It also stems beyond just the second Sunday every July. The Go the Distance program, the Wednesday night developmental runs (which, by the way, might be harder than the race itself), the Charity Bib program, and so much more prove the Boilermaker is more than one day. It's a season, "Boilermaker season."
If you don't believe me run it, just once and I promise you'll be hooked. I love introducing my friends to the run. There is nothing better than seeing their face light up throughout the race as every corner is filled with motivation and water splashing in their face. Every year the Boilermaker reminds me why I run: community, health, and of course, for the free beer.
