It’s the busiest weekend of the year in Utica: Boilermaker weekend.
What You Need To Know
The Health and Wellness Expo is underway at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica
There are lots of other Boilermaker events ahead of race day, including the Boilermaker Walk and Utica National Kids Run
More than 2,000 volunteers are helping make this year’s Boilermaker events possible
“It’s so exciting to see everybody from the community come out. We’ve got some new parking, we’ve sent out tons of maps and it seems like everybody’s navigating it well,” said Boilermaker Road Race Sponsor and Marketing Manager India Paschal.
There are lots of other Boilermaker events ahead of race day, such as the Boilermaker Walk and Utica National Kids Run.
The Kids Run sold out again this year with 1,500 kids signed up.
“The Kids Run has sold out the last few years,” Paschal said. “Everybody’s excited and they want to get their kids involved. So it’s great. It keeps the transition, the tradition going forward for generations to come.”
Runners aren’t always local. Lisa Hansen is from Louisiana. The last time she ran the 15K was 22 years ago.
“I’m nervous about the hills, just because we don’t have hills in Louisiana. But I’m going to do it,” said Hansen.
At the end of the day, it’s all about having a good time.
“It’s huge. I mean, I just love the community. It’s nice. It’s fun,” Hansen said.
“It is more than a race. Truly, it is a party. It is a communitywide party. Truly. So it’s a great thing to be a part of whether you’re spectating, you’re running, you’re cheering somebody on or you’re volunteering,” Paschal said.
More than 2,000 volunteers are helping make this year’s Boilermaker events possible.