UTICA (AP) -- A popular road race that brings thousands of runners to central New York has already sold out.
Online-only registration for Utica's 36th Boilermaker Road Race opened Saturday. Race officials tell local media outlets that by Monday night, they had reached the 14,000-runner cap for the 15-kilometer race. About 2,200 runners had signed up for the 5K race, which is being capped at 4,500.
“I don’t think that any of us anticipated the speed in which the race closed out”, said Race Director Jim Stasaitis in a release. “This is a testament to the thousands of volunteers and our loyal sponsors who make this a must do race.”
The Boilermaker will be held July 14.
Last year, the 15K race didn't reach its registration cap until early March.
Race officials say they sent out an email blast last Thursday to everyone who ran in 2012, reminding them that registration opened Saturday.
The race still has slots available, although it is expected to fill quickly. There will still be two ways for those shut out to participate.
The race has set aside 200 bibs to support a charity bib program. In order for the runner to acquire the bib they must gather a minimum of $500 in pledges for the not for profit. The formal rollout of the program including the designated charities will be announced in February.
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