A ‘Picture Perfect’ Day For A Race, The 45th Boilermaker Is In The Books

The 45^th running of the Utica Boilermaker is in the books.

After being run in October last year, the Boilermaker returned to its traditional second Sunday in July date.

Boilermaker officials held a post-race news conference on Monday at Boilermaker Headquarters.

Race Director, Jim Staistatis called it a “Picture Perfect” day for a race.

"Everybody was happy. Everybody I saw at the post-race party, smiling, just having a great time. Everything just went picture perfect." said Staistatis.

Total of 5,848 runners finished the 15K race, while 2,848 finished the 5K

Race officials say 44 runners were treated at the medical tent, mostly for heat exhaustion. Two runners had to be transported to the hospital for non-life-threating conditions.

Runners for 42 states and the District of Columbia and 11 countries took part in the race.

Here are some other highlights from the 45th running of the Boilermaker

• Jemal Mekonnen of Ethiopia was the winner of the 2022 Boilermaker in record-time. Mekonnen won the race in 42:38, breaking the 12-year old course record set by Lelisa Desisa of Ethopia in 2010
• The women's winner was Rosemary Wanjiru of Kenya, who took home a $10,000 Super Bonus as part of the Professional Road Racing (PRRO) 25^th Championship.

• Daniel Romanchuck of Champaign, IL won his fifth Boilermaker Wheelchair title in a course record time of 31:44 while Jenna Fesemyer of Champaign, IL won her second Boilermaker title in the women's division.  Last year's Men's Wheelchair Champion Hermin Garic of Utica finished second.

• Last year men's and women's winners, Syracuse native Stephen Rathbun of Springfield, NJ, and New Hartford native Savannah Boucher of San Antonio finished 23rd and 14th respectively.

For a full list of finishers and times, visit leonetiming.com/2022/roads/Boilermaker

Mark your calendar for Sunday, July 9, 2023, which is the date of next year's Boilermaker.