Well, we hit the cap on the 15k. In just four and a half months we registered 13,000 participants; wow! I look back at the years we would have a few thousand runners and sign ups ran nearly the entire year; my, how we have grown.
Administering the cap this year was sort of like working on a watch (for those of you who still have a non-digital timepiece) lots of little gears moving around. You’ve got registrations on-line, via paper, elite athletes, sponsor applications (need to guess if they sign up for 15k, 5k or walk), injured runners, the ‘can’t do the 15k, but think I can do the 5k’ runners, on and on.
Then there are the stories why people missed the registration cutoff. With the amount of saturation coverage we received from the media (thank you guys), social media, and mailed applications pointing out the cap. In hindsight, I’m not sure what more we could have done.
Assuming we have a race that meets our customers expectations I expect that next year the race will sell out faster. Next year is our 35th birthday, we’ll have an Induction Ceremony for the Hall of Fame and I’m sure we’ll have some other enhancements to keep the Boilermaker the one race you simply have to run.
I spoke to the Race Director of a race bigger than the Boilermaker on his experience with caps; his experience was the cycle of sellout indeed happens faster. They went to a point where the race sold out in one day! Since then, they use a lottery system based more on ‘luck of the draw’ then when you signed up.
In this case the race did indeed go to the swift; congratulations to those 13,000 who at least made the starting line! For those who procrastinated, registration for the 2012 race opens in January; love to have you come!

The Boilermaker of 2002 was like many. The weather was typical, 68 degrees at the start as over 11,500 runners toed the line to run 9.3 miles. Yet things were very different as ten months earlier America was brutally attacked and plunged into a war unlike any it had experienced in its 220 plus year history.
The finishers pin for ’02 was a Boilermaker logo superimposed over the American flag and was on of the more coveted pins we have created. Clearly the flyover was and is a special one as a reminder of those watching over us.
In this ten year span we have sponsored three ‘shadow runs’; two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Two years ago we memorialized these events by featuring them in our annual Boilermaker portrait as well as introducing some of the participants at the Post Race Party.
So here we are ten years later on the verge of the running of the 2011 Boilermaker. We are ‘back in Iraq’ with possibly 500 various service men and women battling the brutal temperatures of Baghdad to recreate a race they love. The flyover is, hopefully, back after a one year hiatus.
The new things; some serious military support at the Expo, from a rock climbing wall to a tricked out Hummer and throw in some Navy SEALS.
We will be introducing a Patriotic Mile positioned at a point where both 5 and 15k runners can experience it.
Finally, we get entertained by the U.S. Navy Rock Band at the Post Race Party. I have seen them perform; they will not disappoint!
Sometime September 11th seems so far away. Think about it, most of our participants in the Kid’s Run this year don’t remember a pre-9/11 world.
While this race is built around fun and camaraderie let’s think a moment about those that give us the opportunity to have the freedom to enjoy the moment.
On so many levels; these service men and women don’t run so we can.

It’s coming just like the Sun rising in the east we will hit the cap of 13,000 for the Boilermaker 15k (or the 4,000 cap for the 5k) and I’ll have a group of new best friends! Some will be people I know quite well, some passing acquaintances, some I’ve never met!
The stories my new best friends tell me will vary widely but will all eventually come to the same punch line ‘I want to run the Boilermaker and I missed the registration cap.’
One thing we decided after the establishment of the caps was communication through the media was key. The race was born and sustained through the sweat and tears; hopefully no blood, of the local runners; it was why they had first crack at registration this year when it opened.
The surge in registration was immediate and sustained. Days in February that might have seen a handful of applications were consistently tracking over a hundred a day. Tell someone there is the possibility they can’t have something and they will desire it more.
When it’s all said and done the statistics of on line vs. paper registrations, new runners vs. veterans, locals vs. out of towners will be interesting to study. Clearly we are in a new place with registration closed nearly two months earlier than last year, and I wonder what it portends for next years race; the 35th running. Numbers that end in 0’s and 5’s, anniversary years, tend to have even greater demand than normal years.
Here’s the deal; as good a job as the media and we via social media have done blaring out the latest and greatest numbers I have concerns. Too often I run into people who know me or might have seen me wearing a Boilermaker pin and I hear the dreaded words; ‘Oh yeah, I gotta get signed up for the race.’ Will this be the 13,001st person who wants to sign up?
I have two sons in college that have yet to sign up (I keep reminding the lads); how ironic if they want to be the first of my new best friends!

The latest census data came out a couple of weeks ago and I was frankly dreading it. Upstate New York has seen a massive exodus for over a decade leading to the joke what is our biggest export; our young people. It’s remarkable to think that at one point Utica was a city with over 120,000 people!
How did it happen? A hundred people have a thousand different opinions; job opportunities, taxes, the weather (I might agree after this winter), things to do, on and on.
I think it’s sometimes popular to talk down the place we live in. A while ago a survey was done nation-wide and Utica ended up with the ‘honor’ of being one of the saddest cities. I found it interesting that Washington was listed as the happiest; I’ve been around a few neighborhoods in D.C. that don’t exude happiness as I’m fumbling to engage the door lock.
I find the Bank of Utica ads refreshing in gently reminding us of the things that exist in our community. No, I don’t own any Bank of Utica stock!
Hey, I’m not a big winter guy, yet there are a ton of people from throughout the Northeast who flock to our area to snowmobile; it’s big business. What is remarkable is these trails are groomed by unpaid volunteers throughout the season.
I feel honored to be a part of one of the great community events we have. Here’s the deal; the Boilermaker only works when we have a tremendous volunteer base, support of the city, good media relations and a strong sponsor group.
Well, back to the census; surprise, surprise; Utica actually grew in population; not huge numbers but clearly up! Add to this that Utica is ranked one of the top areas to own real estate.
So where do we want to focus; sad city or growing city?
It seems to me we’ve got enough problems to fight against without fighting against ourselves. I’m not trying to sound like ‘Sally Sunshine’ but really; long term few people like to hang around with people who are perpetually negative.
Don’t be the guy at the party that no one wants to be around.

Well, it looks like the Ice Age is slowly receding from Utica! This Winter seemed more relentless that pervious ones. Perhaps it was we had no real thaw; perhaps it’s my 57 year old body is just enjoying it less.
The ravages of the season have rendered the roads throughout the community a potholed minefield punishing those whose concentration is less than 100%. If texting while driving is dangerous under ideal conditions attempting it now is akin to playing Russian Roulette except you have five loaded chambers! Even my own house suffered ‘battle damage’.
In mid-February I received a call at the office from my wife with the words ‘Tim, your not going to believe it!’ The tone in her voice was clearly not that Publishers Clearing House had arrived at the Reed homestead to deliver cash and prizes. No, what was delivered was an ungodly amount of ice and snow that decided to move from my roof to the ground below. Unfortunately, my gutter system decided to get in the way and the whole mess of metal, ice wood and snow littered the front of my house!
The retreat of the snow has revealed all sorts of hidden ‘treats’:bottle caps, cigarette butts, fast food wrappers and snack bags; guess this stuff is not only bad for you health-wise but is also bad for the environment.
Yet in spite of all these negatives glimpses of fairer days are seem. Runners and walkers, some in groups, some solitary folk have begun their travels over the now uncovered pavement.
Last week temperatures hit the mid-50’s and it seemed that all was right with the world. As I was walking down the sidewalk I sighted what I consider the official ‘bird of Spring’; a fly! No doubt about it; rising temperatures = a better frame of mind. If someone comes to me in July and complains how hot it is I will gently remind them about this Winter.
Yes, the Boilermaker weather will come with its sultry temperatures and high humidity. Simply put; bring it!

Last month I went ‘under the knife’ for a minor muscle procedure; will document in a future blog. The ramifications were that I had to be out of the office for about a week.
I’m not a big television guy but checking out the dials I saw daytime pretty much a TV wasteland. Fortunately I had received 2 books over the holidays so I charged headfirst into the land of the printed word and the world of imagination.
The first book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand; I’d heard a fair deal of buzz about the story and it became my instant first choice to read.
One of my concerns with books (or movies) that receive great reviews is I develop a preconceived notion that it will not live up to expectations; Unbroken did not disappoint.
Unbroken is the chronicle of the life of Louie Zamperini; not exactly a household name, but then Louie deals with some more than household challenges.
The book looks at Louie’s life in stages; childhood, Louie the runner, military/plane crash/ocean experience, capture by Japanese, and life after WWII.
As a runner you’ll love his experiences culminating in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. While not overtly stated in the book, I’m convinced the lessons learned in running were a critical element to his survival. Lessons like dealing with solitude, running through pain, and perseverance.
The second book was clearly a different beast; Life by Keith Richards. After what Keith has done to himself it’s remarkable his memory is intact. Overall the book is good, not great. The period I feel the Rolling Stones were at their peak; the albums Beggar’s Banquet and Let It Bleed are given short shrift. Little comment about interaction with The Beatles who, in my opinion, helped craft some of the Stones early success.
Clearly both of them are survivors dealing with dramatically different trails. However, Keith does bear a physical resemblance to the POW’s freed from the Japanese POW camps.
Overall, buy Unbroken, borrow Life.

The burst off the start was furious. The pace was so strong that its competitors could not match. None of those observing had seen such a performance.
Are we watching the performance of some world class athlete? No, we’re seeing the registration numbers for the 2011 Boilermaker!
How did this happen; let’s jump into the time machine and turn the dial to April 2010.
For at least the past 10 years the Boilermaker would run an ad in the newspaper the day after the race offering registration for the following year’s race. Registration would remain open until the end of June or approximately 48 weeks! I’m not sure how many other races have such an open timeframe.
The elimination of this tradition was two-fold One, to give the Boilermaker Committee a chance to go through lessons learned from the race just run. We would have been making decisions in April 2010 about the July 2011 race!
Secondly, to make the opening of registration more of an event as the ‘shadow’ of the race run the day before eclipsed the chance to sign up for the following year’s Boilermaker.
Front and center was registration for the 2011 race. We were just coming off a record of 13,108 for the 15k and 2,991 for the 5k.
I received more than a few e-mails from 15k complaining about taking miles to break out of the pack. Also the inevitable ‘it takes so long to hit the start line’ messages.
There clearly was concern that we could be looking at over 14,000 runners for the 2011 15k run.
Sometimes more is now always better…
With the 5k we have seen 20% growth year over year. The start is much more open than the 15k so we could clearly handle more runners.
In the end registration caps were set for the 15k and 5k at 13,000 and 4,000 respectively so overall we are taking roughly 900 more runners than last year.
In addition, we wanted to encourage on-line registration. It reduces errors on our end, increases real time information and is clearly a ‘greener’ alternative to paper apps..
To promote the on-line registration we lunched it 4 weeks ahead of paper.
Long and the short of it while we might see 4 to 5 runners registering a day at this time of year we are seeing over 110 a day!
It appears at some point, perhaps in the early Spring, we might hit our registration numbers.
Word to the wise; register now if you are planning on running this year.

As you can see from the date of my last blog post you can understand why people were thinking about putting my face on the back of a milk container. No I’m not missing, just very, very busy.
Prior to the running of this year’s Boilermaker, the Tuesday before to be exact, I was approached to take the position of Interim Executive Director of our local United Way. The former Exec had just resigned and they thought I’d be just the right guy for the job. After I picked myself off the ground I gently reminded the requestor that I had an event on Sunday that required a bit of my attention. His response was ‘Oh, take a week to think about it’. Great, they wanted an answer two days after the race. Traditionally at that time my brain was trying to recalibrate itself after the sensory overload of Boilermaker Weekend.
Well, after the race was over I met with the recruitment committee and accepted the position, with one big stipulation. That stipulation was I don’t want to be the next full-time United Way guy, I love the race and to the race I shall ‘run’ after they find their person. In line with that was that while the race needs clearly slow down after the event lots of stuff still needs to be done and I needed time to do it. They agreed.
Now it’s roughly five months later and I can say it’s been quite an experience! Some observations:
Doing two jobs is sort of like being the plate spinning guy on the Ed Sullivan Show. For those too young to remember look it up on youtube. When I signed up for the United Way I also signed up for running the Annual Campaign!
It’s been interesting dealing with managing staff again. The Boilermaker office is quite small with only 2 full time staff (including myself) and 4 part time. At United Way I have 6 full time, 3 part time and myself.
Where both organizations are incredibly similar is the heavy dependence on volunteers; neither would exist without the support of these unsung heroes. At the Boilermaker it’s volunteers who pass out the water, at the United Way it’s volunteers who pass out the money!
The Campaign has been long with the expected ups and downs. Workplace presentations, often at odd hours, delivered to groups as large as a hundred down to a handful.
Oh and we ended up getting the United Way building sold and found a new home that we have to be in by April 2011.
I return to the Boilermaker in January, clearly a little weary, but with some really great memories.

OK, the race has now officially started; I have watched everyone clear the Start line, gently reminding those in the back that we aren’t conducting a walk as they mosey by me through the timing system.
What happens now? I have to climb aboard a police ‘paddy wagon’ to get escorted to the Finish Line.
Now as wild as my former youth may have been have never had the ‘privilege’ of riding in the law enforcement’s taxi cab.
The vehicles’ rear area is divided up into compartments able to hold three or four people, I suppose they are separated in case they’ve arrested people fighting and don’t want to have the altercation ‘going mobile’. There are no windows so we are plunged into darkness except for a bit of light coming through the front windshield.
We speed down the arterial, and weave through the back streets of West Utica, the lumbering beast stops with a jolt; we have arrived.
Slowly the doors being disengaged and are blinded by the pure July sunshine. People are staring at the release of ‘the Boilermaker 6’.
After a short half block walk we reach the finish line. The 5k run is still in progress (starting a half an hour prior to the 15k) although at over 40 minutes since its start we are seeing the tail end.
The crowds that line this area are stacked 4 to 5 deep pressing against the barrier system.
I am struck by the fact that at this point I am to a large extent a spectator like them. The chute crew knows what to do, the timers are monitoring their systems and God knows I could offer little help in the medical tent.
So I watch…
I watch the crowd cheering their support for the few people they know and the many they don’t.
I watch the wheelchair athletes come blasting through the finish; their fellow racers waiting to give them a ‘high five’.
I watch the person, obviously a first time Boilermaker participant, crossing the finish line. They have tears in their eyes, arms outstretched, with the pride of one who broke the winners tape. Their months of training have paid off. No one else has done this for them.
On to the stage!
If there was one scene I wish everyone could experience is walking out and seeing the mass of humanity that the back of the brewery has become! Over 45,000 runners, family members, volunteers, and spectators are a sea of smiles.
Awards are presented, the singing of the National Anthem, and, unfortunately, no flyover (believe me; I really tried).
Finally I get a chance to walk through the crowd. Ask where they are from, how was the course, what could be better, will you come back?
In general, the day is a blur. Hundreds of conversations; many forgotten, a few I will remember forever.
The 33rd running is over; on to the 34th!

The streets have been cleaned, the Port-a-johns have been hauled away and, hopefully, runner’s muscles have recovered from Sunday’s run. It was a remarkable weekend!
So what is it like to be me race day; well, every 10 minutes are different. Frankly, it becomes a blur. But let’s start at the beginning.
Prior to the race our region was experiencing an oppressive weather system blanketing the Northeast with sweltering heat and humidity. Two pre-Boilermaker events, the Road Runner Mile and Youth Olympics, had to be postponed for participants’ safety.
On Friday we gave away our entire supply of Nirvana water allocated for both days of the Expo; Planet Fitness (our Expo sponsor) also blew through their supply.
I was absolutely convinced we would be seeing some sort of thunder and lightning event at some point; and then it happened. Or rather; it didn’t.
If God is not an outright Boilermaker fan He is at least a benevolent spectator. The weather front calmly left the area late Saturday afternoon.
My race day regimen is to get up around 3:00 (am) and head off to the finish line. I am keenly aware of the temperature I feel as I walk out my front door. What a pleasant surprise; the air is refreshing with only a trace of humidity!
The entire Post Race area is a beehive of activity with forklifts darting back and forth hauling pallets of water, orange slices, and sports drinks. In the background is the constant hum of refrigerated truck a/c units and generators. Meanwhile, in the front of the brewery, final preparations are made to the finish line under the ghostly shadow of klieg lights.
Hop a ride to the Start Line and watch the gathering of the herd of runners. For the first time my radio crackles to life with updates on road closures and bus updates. The voices on the other end are serious but not frantic. The shuttle buses had been a known concern with a record number of runners and limited parking in West Utica. Wow, it looks like the extra buses and extra time are working! The early arrivers are clutching their bodies to ward off the morning chill as the morning sun glints behind intermittent clouds. I think to myself; ‘in a few miles you’ll be so happy to have these cool temperatures’.
In the background I hear the voice of Phil Stewart over the loudspeaker. On Saturday I had received the final, final, final, answer that there would be no flyover and told Phil to announce it to the 15k runners, no need for the crowd craning their necks skyward after the National Anthem.
Steady rivers of runners feeding in from the west and east are creating a massive blob of humanity.
The final runners are loading into the chute; I look up at the thousands of faces. The Start Line official gives final instructions to the elites with the final words ‘May God watch over you’. For the last minute a hush has enveloped the entire scene as the clock ticks down. It’s like watching the last seconds prior to a rocket launch; you know the big explosion is coming. The cannon fires; now it begins!
What is the most important I monitor at this point; the Medical Tent. The humidity quickly rose meaning those with the least ability to handle it were out there the longest amount of time. Sort of funny how that works!
Part 2 to follow…