​It’s Boilermaker Sunday, and the Observer-Dispatch will be with you all day live as more than 15,000 runners take to the streets of Utica for the 49th annual Boilermaker road race. Tune in throughout the day as we talk to prerace participants and postrace finishers, check in with the crowds cheering them on, and bring you the results as they come in.
The 2026 Utica Boilermaker Road Race unfolds on race day, Sunday, with the 5K getting underway first at 7:15 a.m. from the intersection of Burrstone Road and York Street. The wheelchair race kicks off at 7:45 a.m., followed 15 minutes later by the 15K, with all three races starting from Culver and Dwyer avenues. All three events conclude at the F.X. Matt Brewery on Columbia Street, which also hosts the post-race party.
For 5K runners, there’s a shuttle option from the west lot at ConMed on Chenango Road to the start line. Shuttles operate from roughly 5:30 to 7 a.m. and are open to registered runners only, not spectators or volunteers. Shuttle service to the 15K start line runs from 5:30 to 7:45 a.m. Birnie Bus will pick up runners at the corner of Columbia and State streets near the finish line and again near the post-race party at 409 Court Street and 802 Whitesboro Street.
The annual event reached its entry caps at the end of June, with 4,500 runners registered for the 5K in the city, presented by Utica National, and 11,000 for the 15K, presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. The 11,000 entries mark the largest field for the 15K since 2019, when the cap and other constraints limited participation. The record field remains 14,445 set in 2017. Through the years, as many as 11,895 runners have completed the course in 2014. In recent times, roughly 80% of registered entrants typically finish the race each year; for instance, in 2025, 8,472 of 10,687 entrants finished, tying the highest completion rate (79%) since the pandemic impacted the 2020 event.
Weather is a key consideration for race day. Binghamton National Weather Service Meteorologist Adam Gill notes that the weekend’s average temperatures tend to land in the mid to upper 80s. “It looks like it will be mostly sunny through the day, with cloud cover only about five to ten percent,” Gill explains, adding that Sunday is shaping up to be dry with light winds around three miles per hour. At present, there are no signs of precipitation on race day. Humidity should stay relatively low, but runners are reminded to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen.
If skies permit, an element from the U.S. Air Force is scheduled to conduct a flyover in honor of the 49th Boilermaker Road Race. Should conditions allow, a KC-135 refueling tanker jet from the 914th Air Refueling Wing, based at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, will grace the skies above the post-race party, held just outside the F.X. Matt Brewery. The Boilermaker organization expresses gratitude for the participation of our country’s Air Force, recognizing the flyover as a tribute to the achievements of the runners and the community that supports them.
Stay tuned to our live coverage for updates, results, and on-the-ground reporting as Utica’s Boilermaker marks another year of speed, camaraderie, and community spirit.