Boilermaker 2: Race Day

Well, I managed to haul my lazy butt out of bed in time to head down to Utica for the big race. Start time was 8:00 and I parked myself about a half mile from the finish line, just down the street from a troop of bagpipers. I didn't have to wait long for the action to start.

First, the wheelchairs began to appear.

The wheelchair race (a separate race using the same course) starts 15 minutes earlier, at 7:45. By 8:15,

Krige Schabort blasted by. He was a good 5 minutes ahead of everybody else.

These guys are intense, racing along with their heads down, totally focused.

After most of the wheelchair riders had gone, it was about 8:40 when we heard the sirens start. First a police car, then two big pace trucks. Right behind those were the two front runners.

In the understatement of the year, wow, they were FAST!

By this time, they had run full tilt for 9 miles, with a half mile to go. And they didn't even look like they were breathing hard!

(Do you love the guy with the megaphone yelling "wake up! half a mile!" He yelled that at every single runner. Good times.)

I love this quote the Utica Observer Dispatch printed from the winner, Nicholas Kamakya: ""I liked the race because it's so perfect," he said. "It's a bit flat and some hills." Kamakya said he likes the 15-kilometer distance. After the 10-kilometer mark, he begins to feel strong and hit his stride, he said."

Yes, after running 10K, he "begins to feel strong." Well folks, I walked for 8K yesterday, and after about 4 kilometers I began to feel like lying down in the grass.

So here's the number 3 and 4 runners.

And some more runners.


After two hours of lots of sweaty people running by, these folks were hanging on, but starting to look like they wanted to lie down in the grass too. It's a good thing megaphone man was there to tell them to "smile! Don't be mean to yourself - smile!"

My pictures kind of suck, but if you're still interested, there's lots of footage on the local news websites:
This came from the Channel 2 website

An interview with the winner.

Video from the starting line.