NATIONAL POLL RANKS BOILERMAKER ROAD RACE
AMONG AMERICA’S TOP TWENTY

UTICA, NY, March 19 – According to a recent poll of members of 550 running clubs,
the Boilermaker Road Race has been selected as one of the top 20 races in the county.
The Boilermaker is the nation’s largest 15K and will be celebrating its silver anniversary
this July in Utica, New York, as part of a celebratory weekend during which the
National Distance Running Hall of Fame, also located in Utica, will be holding its
annual induction ceremony.

"The results clearly show that runners consider the Boilermaker to be one of the best
road races," said Fred Carlip, president of the Road Runners Club of America. "We
asked voters to consider not only the race management, but the tourism and vacation
opportunities that exist in the surrounding area." The results of the poll were carried in
the spring issue of Footnotes, the flagship publication of RRCA. "Based on the feedback we
received," said Carlip, "the Mohawk Valley was recognized and highly regarded as a
great place to be in the summer."

The poll results are particularly significant to Utica because the city is also home to the
National Distance Running Hall of Fame, which is dedicated to honoring the talents,
initiatives and drive of distance runners and road racing individuals who have obtained
fame and recognition by breaking the sport’s barriers and records. At the hall visitors
can see and experience the mementos, memorabilia and exhibits honoring all-time
greats such as Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Bill Rodgers, Steve Prefontaine,
Billy Mills, Kathrine Switzer and more.

Utica Mayor Timothy Julian said, "It’s gratifying that the poll conducted by the Road
Runners Club of America has affirmed what those of us living here have always known.
The Mohawk Valley is a great place to be and if you’re a long-distance runner it’s the
only place to be on the second Sunday in July. I’m confident that this year’s
Boilermaker will be the biggest and best in its 25 year history."

The historic city of Utica, sits right along a stretch of the New York State Thruway that
can be called "Hall of Fame Corridor." Among those in the surrounding areas are the
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota and the
Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. In addition, about two hours away in Springfield,
Massachusetts, is the Basketball Hall of Fame. Visitors to the area that "Last of the
Mohicans" author James Fenimore Cooper once called home can also experience the
Utica Zoo, the Utica Marsh, a 213-acre wetland, a children’s Museum of History, and
the Museums of Natural History and Science. Less than an hour away is New York
State’s largest water theme park and just 18 miles west of the city is the world-class
gaming facility known as Turning Stone Casino Resort.

The Boilermaker and the induction ceremony are the premier events of the weekend of
July 13 and 14, 2002. The Hall’s induction ceremonies take place on Saturday and the
Sunday Boilermaker race consistently attracts elite runners from all over the world,
including Olympians and world record holders. In addition, the Boilermaker also features
the sport’s most enjoyable and largest post-race party, hosted at the F.X. Matt Brewing
Company headquarters in down-town Utica.

For race registration information, call 315-797-5838 or visit the official Boilermaker
web site at www.boilermaker.com.