Boilermaker 2026

            Going into this year, Boilermaker was the only race that I was signed up for, so I was looking forward to it, and I was hopeful that given half a year to train that I could even potentially PR this race. Sadly, my body had other plans when I got hurt a little over a month ago, and honestly, if I would have handled it a little better and not tried to do a workout a few days later, and if I had not raced in back to back days about a week later, I probably could have healed and been okay, but that is not what happened, but a week out from Boilermaker, I decided I would try to do some runs again, because at this point, I have wasted so much money on races that I have not run due to injury that I wanted to do it even if it was slower, so I slowly built up to seven miles over the course of the week, and once I hit that, I knew I was good to go.

            None of these miles were great. I started out close to nine minutes per mile, and after a few days, I tried to up the ante a little and worked my way into the sub eight range, making it as low as 7:45, but not much faster than that. Honestly, while I was doing it, I missed the bike, which is wild, I never thought I would miss biking because I was able to run. Anyway, by Sunday, my leg felt some tinges of strain from the seven-mile runs, but I thought if it bothered me, I would just slow down.

            The thing that makes the Boilermaker special is the bus. Lake Effect hosts a bus that sells out every year that takes runners to and from the Boilermaker. It is an incredibly popular race, and it is a point-to-point race, so it is so convenient to get on a bus, that takes you to the start line, and then it is there with your stuff at the finish line. It is filled with people that also love this race and running, so it is a great place to be.

            So a little before 5:30 in the morning, I arrived at the bus lot, and the journey began. Once we got there, I went and got my bib. It was my first time waiting until race day to get my bib, but I was not racing, so I was not too worried about my nerves leading up to the start, and thankfully, it was a super quick process, and then I headed to the portapotty area to go to the bathroom and hangout until the corral opens.

            That hour or so until the race starts always feels like it takes forever, even while hanging out with friends and chatting, the time drags. It felt like it took even longer this year, because I was not warming up. I had a red bib this year, which is the second wave, although it did seem like there was little actual enforcement of sectioning off the bibs, but I moseyed my way, and I parked myself at the back of the corral and started doing some stretching. Then John came up, and we started to talk about biking, and before I knew it the gun went off, and the mass was moving.

            I did not look at my watch, I just started running the pace that felt comfortable, perfectly content that this was going to be above 7:30 pace because going faster is when my leg started to hurt. My first mile was 7:13, and I was good with that. I was a part of the mass. I looked up to a sea of people, and it was cool to watch the mass move seemingly as one.

Mile two and mile three were both 6:56, and included running past a lady making crepes on a grill on the side of the road, and it looked like she was still cooking, but if they had been handing them out, I undoubtedly would have grabbed one. A snack like that would have been nice.

I have run the Boilermaker injured one other time, and I had the same race plan, I was just going to go as fast as comfortable, and both times, something changed at the golf course. On this day, I looked at my watch, and my fourth mile was a 6:46, by far my fastest at that point, and that is by far the hardest mile up to that point in the race, and if there is a time to change the pace, it is then, because you can fly out of there, and I did. I did not completely open up the flood gates, but I consciously made the choice to make a move. I ran a 6:02 on the next mile, and my breathing had not changed at all, so I was feeling good.

I cruised through the next couple of miles, and I made it through the 10k arch just before the guy said, “we are now getting to the people that are just here to drink the beer.” Although he was kidding, I felt at least a little vindicated by this guy, who probably knows nothing about running saying that I counted as a “real” runner because I made it through his arch just in time. I was fast.

After summiting that hill though, I did not feel like I wanted to really let it go down this hill. I had not run much at all in the past month, and none of it had come close to the pace that I was at. My legs were starting to feel tired, but it is a big hill, and the sooner you’re done, the sooner you’re done. So I kept cruising to the best of my ability, and my next two miles were 6:02 to bring me towards the finish line. The turn after the downhill is brutal though. I knew I was so close to the finish line, but that last 2k feels like an eternity, and I was maintaining despite the fatigue.

Then I got an unexpected boost. Up to this point in the race, I had been the one passing people, when you start farther back and work your pace up by over a minute, this is just the way it is going to be, but all of a sudden, there was a flash of a person going past, and right at that moment, I heard Jerry yelling at him.

After the slightest moments of hesitation and confusion, I went for it. I huffed out an “I’m coming with you”, because for the first time in the race, my breathing was actually becoming labored, and we sprinted to the finish. I rode his coattails at first, then I passed him, and I kept pushing, because I saw another Syracuse Track Club singlet, that I was trying to pass, and right as we were getting to the finishing shoot, the dude Jerry was yelling at got me! It was awesome!

His chip time was almost 6 minutes faster than mine, but at that moment, we got to dual it out. It meant nothing, I placed 300 something, and he placed 100 something, but none of that mattered it was just about getting to the line first. I did not feel bad that he beat me either, I respected the last second hustle, and I appreciated his random appearance pushing me to the end. I just wish he appeared a little sooner, because as I quickly found out, I ran an hour and 24 seconds. I just needed to be 24 seconds faster to break the hour, and that was so within my ability if I had only known!

Honestly, I did not expect to race anywhere near that fast, but I really enjoyed the experience I had. I got to be more observant, and I got to run by friends along the way, and we got to cheer each other on. I think I ran past about ten people that I knew. I was still out there smiling and high fiving the kids with their hands out.

            The other thing that got me through the race were the water and ice stations. It was not the hottest Boilermaker, and the temperature actually felt pretty good for a July morning, but once you get half way, it does not really matter, you can feel it. So at every chance I could, I took the ice, and I put it in my shirt or my hat, and it was amazing. I also took water at almost every stop, and it was reviving. By the end of the race, my clothes were completely saturated, and it was because I dumped so much water on myself after I took my gulp of water.

            The after party of this race is also unparalleled. There is unlimited free beer. Of course, if this is the case, it is not going to be the best beer, and this year it was the weekend warrior, which is a meager 3.8%, and after the long hot run, they go down easy. Being able to drink lots of free beer is great, but so is talking to friends. I have not been attending basically any group runs, so I do not get to see these people very often anymore, so any time I get to hang out and talk I eat up.

            These interactions and beer drinking are also bolstered by the love and care of Todd and Karen, who have been in charge of the Boilermaker Bus for the four years that I have attended, and they provide turkey sandwiches and other snacks on the way there and on the way home. They go above and beyond every year, and they genuinely care about everyone that is on the bus, and we cannot thank you enough for all that you do!

This was my slowest Boilermaker, but I can still say, running is great, and racing is fun, but the community is what really makes it all special.