​Runners head to a shuttle pickup location before the 2026 Boilermaker Road Race in Utica, New York, scheduled for Sunday, July 12. Utica — The weather was ideal and records fell as thousands gathered for Utica’s 49th Boilermaker. First-time Boilermaker participants Alex Matata and Tsigie Gebreselama claimed the 15-kilometer titles in their debuts, with Gebreselama also setting a new open-division record for female competitors. Colgate University runner Thomas Rivier and Dorcas Huang won the five-kilometer race, while Canadian Joshua Cassidy captured the wheelchair race for the fifth time.
Runners set off on the 15K course under 63-degree air, clear skies, and a light breeze—the coolest start since 2022. The 2025 race had begun at 72 degrees, closer to the temperature in which many finishers would experience the FX Matt brewery segment. The Boilermaker will celebrate a half-century milestone in 2027, with the races slated for July 11 that year.
Tsigie Gebreselama, finishing in 47:29, crossed the line atop the women’s standings in the 2026 Boilermaker 15K in Utica on Sunday, July 12. The 25-year-old Ethiopian runner, now based in Colorado, posted the 18th-fastest overall time in a sold-out field of 11,000 entrants and shaved 28 seconds off the 16-year-old course record for women previously held by Edna Kiplagat. Kiplagat’s 2013 masters division record also fell Sunday. Priscah Cherono completed the course in 48:15, nearly a full minute faster than her previous best of 49:11. Milton Rotich topped the masters in 46:41, the fastest time among runners aged 40 and over. Gebreselama, a two-time Olympian, won the women’s division by 15 seconds ahead of Melknat Wudu, with two other competitors within a minute of her mark.
“It was so nice,” Gebreselama said after setting the record, noting the enthusiastic spectators who shouted encouragement like “Go, go, go!” Stephanie Bruce of Flagstaff, Arizona, was the first American to finish, placing 46th overall with a time of 50:40. Kerry Flower of Schenectady was the first New Yorker, 89th in the combined field, finishing in 53:26.
Matata, a Kenyan who now resides in Florida, completed the course in 42:24, 18 seconds behind the record set three years prior by Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer Mekonnen and 29 seconds ahead of Kiprono Sitonik, his closest challenger. The time marked a 20-second improvement over last year’s winning performance, with the winner finishing in the 43rd minute for the fifth consecutive year. John Korir had won the previous two Boilermakers, and Mekonnen won the two before that. Stephen Rathbun — who won the toned-down post-COVID race in October 2021 — finished 22nd on Sunday.
15K winner Alex Matata (left) shares a moment with Kiprono Sitonik during the 2026 Boilermaker 15K, illustrating a strong finish and a photo-worthy moment amid the competitive field.