Over 4,100 take advantage of early registration for July 2024 races

  • ·         25 percent of 2023 registrants commit early to 2024 races
  • ·         Traditional registration periods will open in Jan./Feb. 2024
  • ·         More information will be available in early December
  • ·         Race day is Sunday, July 14, 2024.

UTICA- More than 4100 runners took advantage of the Boilermaker Road Race’s special registration periods to lock in their spots for the 2024 running of the 15K Road Race presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and the 5K Road Race presented by Utica National.

The race held a loyalty registration event in the month of August, which saw 25 percent of last year’s registrants reserve their spots for the July 14, 2024 races at the lowest price that was offered for the 2023 race, according to Boilermaker President Mark Donovan.

“The loyalty we are shown from our runners, many of whom return year after year, is the envy of races across our industry,” said Donovan. “We wanted to reward their loyalty by giving them the opportunity to sign up early at the lowest price from 2023’s races, and are humbled by their response.”

With the success of the August event in mind, officials decided to hold a second registration event for nine days in September, to celebrate Boilermaker Race Director Jim Stasaitis’ 71st birthday. That event, which closed on Sunday, October 1, saw more than 1100 register early and avoid price increases in late January and early February when traditional registration will open.

“We were getting a lot of messages from people in the general public looking for their chance to register for the race early to avoid getting closed out when the race opens traditional registration in early 2024,” Stasaitis said. “This was a fun way to give people that opportunity, and while we didn’t know how many signups we’d get, I think it’s safe to say it exceeded our expectations.”

With Boilermaker registration closed until 2024, officials note that more information will be released in December through local media, the race’s social media platforms and website.

The 47th edition of the Boilermaker Road Races will be held in Utica on Sunday, July 14, 2024.