UTICA, N.Y. — The 2026 Boilermaker Road Race took place Sunday, July 12 in Utica, and one local man finished in 12th place.
Running the Boilermaker
Joey Whelan, who lives in Webster, ran the Boilermaker 15K this year for the second time. Although this was only his second time, Whelan is no stranger to racing.
Only three weeks before the Boilermaker, Whelan ran the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn, where he finished in sixth place.
Whelan says races like the Boilermaker help him in his marathons.
“I’ll schedule my like key marathons and then I’ll sprinkle in some of the shorter races that I call like my ‘speed work,’ which is like a 15K or anything below a marathon, anything because then I’m running faster than marathon pace,” said Whelan.
Just coming off the marathon in Minnesota, Whelan was coming off of a week break and eased his way back into running before the Boilermaker, as he didn’t want to miss it.
“It’s kind of nice to go into a race with very little expectations and just not have to worry,” said Whelan.
What is the Boilermaker?
The Boilermaker is a road race that takes place every year in Utica. There is a kids run, a walk, a 5K, a wheelchair 15K, and a regular 15K.
According to the Boilermaker website, the 15K is often referred to as the best in the United States. The race draws in people from around the world every year. The website says the event brings in over 20,000 runners, spectators, and volunteers.
Whelan’s first marathon
Whelan says he runs around eight marathons a year. He ran his first marathon in 2017 in Buffalo, right near where he grew up.
“I was turning 26 years old and I was looking at my career and I was like, ‘I want to be able to run a marathon.’ Like to say that I ran a marathon and I’m 26 years old, 26 years old, 26.2 miles is the marathon distance, so I was like, let’s just run Buffalo and see how that goes,” said Whelan.
Photo via @jpwhelan23Although Whelan said he didn’t train super hard for his first marathon, he still trained enough, and that earned him second place. He said running that marathon felt a lot different compared to shorter races he had done, and it came more natural to him.
“I started just finding success in the marathon and really enjoying it, and I’ve been doing it since,” said Whelan.
This past May, Whelan once again ran in the Buffalo marathon, where he won it and set the course record there. He has also set course records in the Austin Marathon, the Indianapolis Marathon, the Wineglass Marathon, and the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon.
Photo via @jpwhelan23Not only that, Whelan has qualified for three Olympic Teams Trials Marathon’s. The 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon will take place in March 2028. Six athletes will earn their spots on Team USA for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Though Whelan has had many accomplishments while competing, there’s one specific marathon he will never forget.
2023 Austin Marathon
After finishing in second place in the Austin Marathon in 2023, Whelan proposed to his girlfriend, Monica.
Photo via @jpwhelan23The two started dating in 2019, and she had come out for marathon weekend that year. Whelan had it all planned out. He even had the ring safety pinned to his hat and ran the whole entire race with the ring on him.
“I wanted to do it at the finish line, so I wanted to carry the ring too,” said Whelan. “So logistically, everything was a little difficult.”
Now, the two have been married for over a year.
Whelan’s next marathon
On Oct. 11, Whelan will be running in the Chicago Marathon. He says he has just started his training for the marathon, and will be documenting his journey towards it on his social media.
WNY native holds multiple course records and just finished 12th at the Boilermaker Road Race WHEC.com.
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