Terefe Marwgu wins the Boilermaker!

Terefe Maregu of Ethiopia is the winner of the 31st Boilermaker 15K Road Race! He won the Peachtree Road Race as early as last week.

15K Road Race underway

The 15K Road Race is now in progress. 11,000 runners are passing the start line as their chip is activated and are about to make their way through the City of Utica.

The will run a 9.3 mile route from East Utica to West Utica and end at the F.X. Matt Brewery for the post-race party.

The Governor comes to Utica!

Governor David Patterson will be the first Governor to run the 15K Road Race. He has officially arrived at the start line.

Boilermaker Sunday is here!

It is early Sunday morning and I just arrived at the NEWSChannel 2 Newsroom. Our crews are out and about all over the city making final preparations to everything we need for our coverage.

Out live broadcast begins at 7:00 AM and engineers, photographers and talent are being sent to their reporting locations.

I will be blogging from the finish line and will be heading there momentarily.

To the runners and spectators, Happy Boilermaker Sunday and enjoy Central New York's premier event.

Welcome To 2008!

Welcome to the introductory blog of the 2008 Boilermaker Season. This will be the 31st running of the best 15K Road Race in America!

This year, the big event will be held on July 13th. NEWSChannel 2 will have complete coverage once again as Central New York goes the distance.

Check back here over the next few weeks for the best coverage of the Boilermaker Road Race.

Thank You For "Blogging" With Us

This will be the last official post regarding the 2007 Boilermaker Road Race, the amazing 30th Anniversary of America's Largest 15K Road Race.

Be sure to check into "Blogging" the Boilermaker often over the next year when 2008 Boilermaker news starts coming in and be sure to check back next Boilermaker season for the most complete Boilermaker coverage as we honor Utica's premier event.

I would personally like to thank all of the following people who helped bring together this blog:
Jason Powles - Contributor, Vlogger
Cindy McNicholl - Creative Designer, Contributor
Marie D'Aniello - Special Contributor
Tom McNicholl, Joleen Ferris, Bill Kardas - Contributors
Dave Streeter - NEWSChannel 2 Operations Mangaer
Steve McMurray - NEWSChannel 2 News Director
Vic Vetters - NEWSChannel 2 General Manager

On behalf of everyone on the NEWSChannel 2 Team we thank you for tuning into our coverage online. We promise to bring you the most reliable and complete coverage of the latest news, weather and sports for all of Central New York. Also, be sure to stay tuned to WKTV.com for new and upcoming blogs.

Once again, thank you for "Blogging" the Boilermaker with us.

Thousands of Winners on Sunday

The race is run and the chips are down (to be counted). The news headlines announce the fastest man and woman. We compare the minutes and seconds and tenths of a second they took to cross the finish line. The winners were far from alone on that course Boilermaker Sunday.

Our "Blog Team" would like to salute the 12,000+ participants that took on the challenge of the Boilermaker Road Race and the over 10,000 who finished what they started.

Congratulations to our 2007 "Go the Distance" Training Team:
Steven Urbanke, Kimberly Stevener, Heather Moksness, Susan Swancott, Lise Bauer, Sally Taylor, Penny Kubik, Kathleen Jeffery and Barb Zumpano. It was their first time running the Boilermaker and they all crossed the finish line. A special congrats to Tammy Delano and Vincent Bevivino, the team's wheelchair participants. They both finished in less than 2 hours and completed the Sitrin Wheelchair Challenge to qualify for special racing wheelchairs.

I started checking out the NEWSChannel 2/Quadsimia Runner Result search engine for the finish times of co-workers and former employees and got a little carried away when I saw how easy it was to look back at results over the past 10 years. Check it out, you may be surprised at who you find there.

So here goes a little recognition out to our friends from WKTV who have crossed that finish line on Court Street during the last 10 years. Talk about seeing the race from all angles.

Earl Davis (photographer) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Joleen Ferris (reporter) 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Nick Grimmer (sales) 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007
Karen Huxtable (reporter) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007
Fred Latus III (engineering) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005
Dennis Williams (sports) 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002
Jessica Weinstein (reporter) 2001, 2005
Bill Kardas (weather) 2006, 2007
Susan Smith (sales) 2006, 2007
Amber Finnegan (billing) 2007
Katie Drake (sales) 2005
Lisa Burline (sales) 2005
Bill Sally (news, sports, sales) 2002

Check for any friends that ran the 5K Training Run too. This is the first year you can look up chip times for the 5K runners.

I want to "finish" with a Special Congratulations to Mike Trendell from Oriskany Falls who ran his 3rd Boilermaker and finished in 73rd place, a personal best.

Feel free to add a comment to congratulate any of your friends and family that managed to "Go the Distance", too.

Post Boilermaker Festivities

Are you an out of town runner still in town? Do you need something fun to do with classic Utica style?

GO TO UTICA MONDAY NITE

Utica Monday Nite takes place in front of Tiny's at State & Mandeville Streets.


Tonight, our good friend Bill Worden will be the star on stage drumming with Monk Rowe, Bob Sherwood, and Jon Hutson. They will be set up on a stage and hooked up to a microphone.


It should be a great performance so make sure to stop by and say hello to one of your favorite Central New York television anchors.

A Great 30th Anniversary

What an amazing weekend! It truly seemed like the 30th Anniversary was one of the greatest years the Boilermaker has ever seen. From first time runners to the elite runners returning again, excitement was clearly evident throughout Central New York.

WKTV.com has complete coverage and many post-race features.

> Check all results and search for yourself and your friends
> Watch yourself cross the finish line
> View & Submit Boilermaker Photos

Mobile Blogging From The Party

I will be attending the Boilermaker Post-Race Party and will be sending blogs from my mobile device. Stay tuned for coverage from there.

The Party Is On

We still have hundreds of runners to pass the Finish Line but the party is beginning at The Saranac Brewery. The Awards Ceremony will take place at 10:00 and the elite runners will be honored for their victories.

We are now off the air but the coverage does not stop there. WKTV.com and "Blogging" the Boilermaker will have complete coverage with updates throughout the day.

I am now leaving the set area which is being taken down and will be heading over to the party in order to take pictures for the blog and will be posting them this afternoon.

If you are in the area, make sure to stop by and congratulate your friends and neighbors for completing the Largest 15K in the country.

On behalf of the NEWSChannel 2 Team, we congratulate all participants in the 30th Running Of The Boilermaker Road Race.

The Sea Of Humanity Continues To Pass Through

Here at the finish line, hundreds of people pass by almost every minute. We are 1:30:00 into the race and the excitement has not diminished one bit.

HERE IS SOME OF OUR COVERAGE SO FAR:

Boilermaker Start Line Video Part One
Boilermaker Start Line Video Part Two
Wheelchair Race
Record Setting times are ones to beat
Runner etiquette important while running
Runners take off for Carbone 5K Training Run
Governor Eliot Spitzer gets ready for 5k Run

Lidia Simon Is The Female Champion

Lidia Simon is the official female winner of the 2007 Boilermaker Road Race.

Nicholas Kamakya Is The Champion

Nicholas Kamakya of Kenya wins the 2007 Boilermaker with a time of 43:50.

Krige Schabort Wins Wheelchair Competition

30th 15K Is Officially Underway

The 30th Running of the Boilermaker 15K Road Race Is Officially Underway. Over 12,000 runners are now traversing through the streets of Utica in America's Largest 15K.

The 5K Has Concluded

The Carbone 5K Training Run has just concluded. Here are some pictures taken througout the final mile.

NEWSChannel 2 On The Radio

NEWSChannel 2's broadcast of the 30th Boilermaker Road Race will be simulcast on The Sport Stars Radio Network. AM 1230, 1350, 1480, 1550 will carry our coverage to bring you the most opportunities to be part of this incredible event.


NEWSChannel 2: On Air, Online, On Demand and On The Radio

We Are On The Air!

It is now 7:00 AM and NEWSChannel 2 is now putting on our biggest special broadcast of the year. 364 days of work all comes down to this one broadcast and our corresponding web coverage.

Jason Powles and Kristen Copeland are at the Finish Line set and Bill Worden is kicking off the coverage. Don Shipman, Andrea Bullard and Meghan Koskovich are at the starting line. Our Race Analyst, James O'Brien will be following the Men's Elite Runners and Evan White is following the Women's Elite Runners.

Early Crew Call

NEWSChannel 2 teams are beginning to assemble at this incredibly early hour to begin preparation for our 3 hour broadcast. Our chief engineer, Tom McNicholl was at the Finish Line site around 3:00 AM and then headed back to the station where we will be taking over his duties there. News crews began arriving here around 6:00 so we can start testing everything before 6:00. Jason Powles, Kristen Copeland and Bill Worden will be at the Finish Line site. Don Shipman, Andrea Bullard and Meghan Koskovich will be at the Starting Line.



Tune in for our coverage beginning at 7:00 AM.

Final Pre-Race Press Conference

The final pre-race Press Conference has just concluded here at The Radisson Hotel. Many committee members spoke including Race Director Bob Ingalls, Kevin Copeland, Dick Mattia, Gary Roback among others. They went over many race details including drug testing during tomorrow's race, the wheel chair race, elite runners and the volunteer award.

Many elite runners from all over the world attended today's press conference.

Jason Powles, Evan White and NEWSChannel 2 Analyst, Jim O'Brien are conducting interviews with elite runners.

Today, Jason and Jim did a large amount or research in order for them to call potential winners tomorrow. You can find out those tonight on NEWSChannel 2 and here on "Blogging."

Boilermaker Forecast

SUNDAY MORNING'S FORECAST FOR THE 30th BOILERMAKER:

On Sunday, temperatures will start out in the upper 60s and quickly climb into the low 70s during the race. The humidity will be high, making the air feel very uncomfortable. Sky conditions will average partly to mostly sunny and that coupled with the mild and humid conditions could make it a tough go for the runners. Drink plenty of fluids if you are running in the race.

Temperature: Very warm

Humidity: High

Wind: Light

Our meteorologist and Boilermaker participant Bill Kardas provided us with this forecast for tomorrow morning's Running of the 30th Boilermaker Road Race.

LAST MINUTE TIPS

What to do on race day - Arrive at the race about one hour early. Do not get caught up in the crowd at the start. The start is very congested; make sure you watch the runners in front of you. Keep with your running pace that you have been training for. Do not get discouraged on the first mile time; you have plenty of time to get adjusted to your pace. Finally, enjoy the Boilermaker, you deserve it, enjoy the people that are out there to cheer you on. This is the time to rejoice.
Also, this is expected to be a very humid Boilermaker. Take water! An old friend used to say... one in ya (water) one on ya! Also, course director Jim Stasaitis once showed me how take a cup of water in the race. It may sound a little complicated but its easy. Grab the cup and fold over the top so it looks a spout. That was it won't spill all over.
We have trained over 100 people to run the Boilermaker over the last 11 years and 99 percent have crossed the finish line, a pretty good stat if I do say so myself.
One other tip, please please please don't eat a huge breakfast on Sunday morning. Trust me it won't help, it will only hurt. Have a great run and watch Kristen Copeland and me for our call of the race on Sunday.

Utica National Insurance Group's Youth Run

One of the most popular satellite events of the Boilermaker Road Race is the kids-sized version known as the Youth Run. Today kids ages 4-12 will run at the Masonic Care Community to test their running skills to hopefully run the 15K event in the future.

Our own Vic Vetters will be providing LIVE reports on NEWSChannel 2 Weekend Today from the CDPHP Health and Fitness Expo where the Youth Run is taking place.

Check back to our Boilermaker Section for video from the events.

We will recap today's Youth Run and the NEWSChannel 2 8K walk in two halfhour specials tonight at 7:00 and 7:30 respectively.

If you or your children ran the Youth Run please click here to post a comment.

ALL ACCESS: WKTV.com Coverage

Boilermaker #2...

My experiences with the Boilermaker go back to only one year ago, when I first started working at WKTV. I took up running when I was in high school and ran cross country as a senior. Quite frankly, I was far from a star athlete, but I still enjoy the sport. I've been running on a fairly routine basis now for about 6 years and I feel that my body is in its best shape now. Out of all the races I've run, the Boilermaker is absolutely the most exciting experience I've had. I ran it last year for the first time ever and I'm hooked. The enthusiasm of the crowd and plain numbers is unmatched. Last year I finished in 71 minutes with a very slow start. This year I do have a better starting position and will hopefully do a little better as well.

On Sunday, my sister and best friend will be joining me in the race this year. She ran it last year with me and this will be my friend's first year ever. I'll be wearing a bright yellow shirt with a big '2' on the front...make sure to say hello if you see me pass by.

Sitrin Wheelchair Challenge

The Sitrin Wheelchair Challenge is a major part of the Boilermaker Road Race. This was started in 1998 to promote wheelchair racing in the local community. For those of you who do not know, the wheelchair race starts at 7:45, receiving an additional 15 minutes than regular racers.

The challenge is that if specific participants can accomplish this in the 2 hours and 15 minutes allotted, that they win a racing wheelchair valued at $2500.

The three specific participants competing for the three chairs being given out this year are:
Vinny Bevivino, Utica
Tammy Delano, Rome
Anne Hayes, Massachusetts

The two local participants are both part of the NEWSChannel 2 Go The Distance Program.

LIVE From The Health And Fitness Expo

We are broadcasting and blogging live from the CDPHD Health and Fitness Expo. NEWSChannel 2 Teams have spent all day setting up the sets and broadcast equipment both here at the Masonic Care Community and at The Finish Line.

Tune in for the Live and Five Newshour and NEWSChannel 2 at 6:00 for the latest from here at the Health and Fitness Expo.

Steve McMurray and Kristen Copeland are currently co-anchoring the Live and Five Newshour and Bill Worden has just arrived here to prepare for NEWSChannel 2 at 6:00.

We are at a high elevation and the wind is breezing by quickly which makes everything that much more difficult.

Later tonight, I will be posting pictures from today's set-up and behind the scenes of the broadcast.

You Can't Stop at One

Like many Central New Yorkers, I've watched the Boilermaker grow from a community oriented run into a world class event. Now after being part of 15 different Boilermakers, I look at the second Sunday in July differently than most.
I was fortunate enough to run the race, but only once. As a high school junior, I was a member of the track team, running the Mile and 800m. I was in the best shape of my life and was ready to challenge 9.3 miles through the streets of Utica. With about a month between the end of track season and race day, it was up to me to to train properly for the big day. Little by little, I increased the mileage, 3 miles, then 4, then 5. I maxed out at 6 miles about a week before the race. At this point, I became a little nervous. Six miles was tough, but how would I ever be able to go another 3, and then some? A veteran of a few Boilermakers told me "You'll be fine. Adrenaline will get you through it." I thought he was just being nice and giving me a little encouragement, but what I realized is that truer words were never spoken.
The night before the race, I tried to get some sleep. I tossed and turned with butterflies in my stomach. Was I going to "Go the Distance?" Or would I run out of gas around Burrstone Road? How much water should I take? How much is too much? Would anybody notice if I just took a short cut down York St. and ended up a couple blocks from the finish line?
All these worries turned out to be nonsense. As the gun went off the next morning, (this was before the timing chip) I couldn't wait to get moving. In 1990, there were about 3900 runners in the 15K, about one-third the field assembled for this year. Still, it felt like I was in the middle of the Boston Marathon. The first mile or so was easy as you couldn't really get into a stride until the field thinned out. Once it did, it was like no feeling I'd ever had before (or since for that matter). Thousands of people lined the streets, cheering for you as if you were the only person on the road. Talk about getting you through the tough parts...I don't think I ever slowed down. I didn't sprint, but I know I didn't settle in either. Every turn and every intersection filled with people, music, and cheers. It doesn't get any better than this. As I made my way down Court St. to the finish line, I felt I could've run another 9 miles. I soon realized that was the adrenaline talking, my legs would've had other ideas. I finished in 65 minutes, good enough for 700th place at the time. That Boilermaker Sunday was truly one of the best days of my life.
The next year, I was battling Mono, so running a 15K wasn't in the cards. I've been working the broadcast end of Boilermakers since then, leaving the running behind. Don't get me wrong, there are many great memories I have from covering these races year after year, and I still toss and turn with butterflies in my stomach, worrying about everything from live shots to commercial spots, and are we giving the viewers what they want. Still, the 65 minutes from 1990 will always be special, and one of these days, I'll get back on the pavement in hopes of reliving the exhilration that is The Boilermaker.

"Blogging" the Boilermaker
from The Finish Line

- Latest Information

- Elite Runner Winners

- Coverage Details

"Blogging" the Boilermaker From The Finish Line

NEWSChannel 2 will be "Blogging" the Boilermaker from The Finish Line. I will be set up with wireless Internet and a laptop right next to our on air coverage stage bringing you updates as they progress, typically every five minutes. We will also have reporters with cell phones along the race route calling into the station with updates from their stationed position. NEWSChannel 2 and WKTV.com has the most complete and comprehensive coverage On Air, Online and On Demand.

A Go The Distance Comment From Team Member, Kim Stevener

THIS WAS A COMMENT LEFT BY GO THE DISTANCE PARTICIPANT, KIM STEVENER. I FELT IT TRULY SHOWS HOW GREAT GO THE DISTANCE IS AND SHOWS REAL DETERMINATION IN A FIRST-TIME BOILERMAKER RUNNER - SO IT BECAME ITS OWN POSTING. GOOD LUCK ON SUNDAY, KIM - GREAT JOB!

My name is Kim Stevener and I was one of the "Go the Distance" team at Babe's last night on our last Monday night run. I had a wonderful time throughout this whole program and I would encourage anyone if you were thinking of doing the Boilermaker for the first time, this is the program for you. I can not express all my gratitude to WKTV, Jason, Joe, Chris, Captain Joe, current/Past Go the Distance team members, sponsors and volunteers. None of us would have been able to accomplish this without the help and support of all of these people. It's these people that had prepared all of us for the Big Race on Sunday and I could of not have done this without each of their help. This week our hard work will show on Sunday when we all cross that finish line. I'm a little nervous prior to the race, the butterflies are starting already but it's a wonderful feeling to know that we are about to be apart of the largest Road Race. On race day I know that it's all up to each of us to take all the tips that we received and put them to good use for the race. It will be different running Sunday than our training runs, only because we will have an additional 12,200 runners with us and not our usual 70 - 80 runners. That's the only thing that I am nervous about, it's not finishing the race because I know I can complete the course, it's the number of runner's that will be there. I am truly looking forward to cross that finish line on Sunday! I have made some very close friends in this program and these will last a lifetime. I have already made the decision to do this every year. Since my time on the program is coming to an end, I am already looking forward to coming back next year to run with the 2008 Go The Distance team, every week. This will allow me to give back to the program what it had given me. The Past teammates have helped me tremendously and next year I am going to offer my support to each of the new runners. Thanks Andrew for helping me last night with the Blog!!! GOOD LUCK ALL ON OUR BIG RACE.

Go The Distance Wraps Up

I am sitting at Babe's Macaroni Bar and Grill with the Go The Distance Team. They are just returning from their final run of 3 miles near the Boilermaker Finish Line. Race Founder, Earle Reed joined us for the after gathering. Just sitting here you can feel the excitment of the group as they are just under a week from the largest 15k in the country. They have spent the last 12 weeks gearing up for this. Not only did they run every Monday, but they did Wednesday runs and Saturday runs as a group. They are truly an amazing group. They are exactly what this race is about. Where else can you run with some of the most famous runners in the world. Go to the Go The Distance Section Of Our Website for more information on this great team and reports of their hard work. We invite them to post comments of their experience and feelings about next week and we wish them all the luch next Sunday in their big run.

One week to go

Next Sunday I will run my first Boilermaker. One year ago I was in Utica on Boilermaker Sunday, and at that point in my life I never dreamed I would be where I am now. Let me preface this by saying, while I consider myself an active person, I have never been an athlete. The thought of running 9.32 miles seemed like an impossible feat, but the past year of my life has challenged me and changed me in ways I could never imagine. Sunday July 8, 2007 is not just the day of the Boilermaker to me... to me it is Luca's six month birthday. Luca is my son, and though I only had him for two months, he has impacted my life more than anything. Luca was born with a congenital heart defect. In his short time on earth he taught me to believe in the impossible. He showed me that I am far stronger than I ever knew. I lost him on March 9, 2007 and in the time that has followed I found strength and peace in running. When I run, I think of Luca and everything we went through together, and I know I will finish this race. I will do it for him and for all of the other children who will never get a chance to run and play. Tonight I completed my last long run before next Sunday, 7 miles. Even though it took me longer than I would like, I never stopped running and I probably never will.

Welcome To Our Newest Contributor

Today we welcome our newest "Blogging" Contributor, Marie D'Aniello. Marie is a first-time Boilermaker participant and has been training for over three months. She actually reigns from Massachusetts and has been introduced to the Utica community by her fiance.

Marie is ecstatic to be coming to Utica for this huge event. She will be bringing you the perspective of both a first-time Boilermaker runner and an out-of-area Boilermaker participant.

"Blogging" the Boilermaker is excited to welcome her and knows she will be bringing you a different point of view in this exciting, renown event known as The Boilermaker.

If you have any questions for her to answer from her perspective, please feel free to ask her in our comments section.

Engineering the Boilermaker

As you can imagine, broadcasting the Boilermaker on live TV is no small task. WKTV uses 11 cameras & 14 microphones from 9 locations along the 15k course and at the post race party in back of Saranac Brewery. We will operate out of the WKTV Live van, WKTV Satellite van, WKTV Production Vehicle, a WSTM Live van and a WSYR Live van. Manning the trucks and broadcast equipment will be 5 WKTV engineers, a WSTM engineer and a WSYR engineer. There will be two additional cameras on motorcycles taping footage for later use, one following the men's leader and the other following the women's leader. Several years ago, we used these cameras live, but the expense of getting those signals back to the studio included rental of gear and a helicopter. These costs became too burdensome for a TV station in the Utica market.

Play by play of the race leaders will be from a reporter via a cell phone traveling in the Media Truck leading the race.

The WKTV engineering department started planning for the 2007 Boilermaker right after the 2006 race by working up post race notes on problems encountered in that race and possible solutions so that the 2007 coverage would be better. Throughout the year, we are looking at equipment and techniques to improve upon what we've done in the past. Several months ago we started to plan out our live locations and how we would get our signals from those sites to the studio. All of what we do on the course is fed back to the studio via a microwave link from a Live van or portable setup, with the exception of one of the Starting Line locations where we use our Satellite van. Microwave transmission must have a clear line of sight path from the site to the studio. Trees or buildings in the path will block the signal. We use Live vans with 40' plus masts to get over the buildings and trees and portable gear on the ground where we can see our Smith Hill tower. One of the Starting Line locations is completely blocked by some old, tall trees, so we use our Satellite van to send a signal to a Satellite in space, which in turn sends it back to earth where we can receive it at the studio.

Our locations this year, in order of where they appear on the course, will be:
1. In back of the Starting Line on the East side of Culver Ave.
2. In front of the Starting Line on the West side of Culver Ave.
3. On the corner of Albany St. & Culver Ave.
4. On the corner of Valleyview Rd. & the Parkway
5. At the 5k start on the corner of York St. & Burrstone Rd.
6. On the corner of Whitesboro St. & Champlin Ave.
7. On the corner of York St. & Court St.
8. At the Finish Line
9. At the Post Race Party in back of the brewery

Two of the Live vans will move during the race. The van at site #3 will move to site #6 and the van at site #4 will move to site #7. Sites #1 through 7 and #9 will each have one camera. Site #8 at the finish line will have 6 cameras in the following locations feeding to our Mobile Production Van in the brewery parking lot:

1. Men's Lane - locked down camera focused on mens finish lane - will be used live and will also be recording to hard drive for editting clips to website
2. Women's Lane - same as Men's Lane but focused on women's finish lane
3. Roving Wireless Lanes Camera - transmitting to a receiver at the Mobile Production Van - covering close-ups of the runners as they cross the finish line and for interviews with runners
4. Main Set Camera - covering hosts and guests providing race coverage with the finish line in the background
5. Over the Set Camera - on a scaffolding above the Main Set Camera - providing shots of the finish area & crowd shots
6. Corner of Stark St. & Court St. - catching a glimpse of the runners as they head down the hill on Court St. towards the finish line

The six cameras and talent microphones used at the Finish Line are switched in the Mobile Production van and fed to the studio via a portable microwave link on the roof of the brewery.

WKTV rents some of the portable microwave gear that is used, as well as the Wireless Camera Transmitter/Receiver for the Roving Lanes Camera and Wireless Intercom gear for the Finish Line area.

Testing of the in-house gear began on 6/28 from various points on the course to see which frequencies worked best from each location and to see which receivers at the studio worked best for each of the sites.

Setup at the Finish Line will begin Friday, 7/6 when rental gear arrives. The path from the brewery roof to the studio will be setup and tested that day and the remainder of the rental gear will be tested. On Saturday, 7/7, the Mobile Production van will be setup at the brewery and all of the cabling will be put into place for cameras, microphones, intercom, IFB (talent monitoring) and video monitoring. The Post Race Party link will also be setup Saturday on the roof of the garage behind the brewery.

Setup on race day begins at 3am at the Finish Line, setting up and connecting the cameras, microphones, intercom stations and monitoring. The WSTM & WSYR trucks arrive in town at 5:30am and are led to their sites by our photographers. The WKTV Live van, Satellite van and a portable setup head out to their sites at 5:30am as well. Once the sites are setup, they will call the studio engineer to align their microwave shots and test their video/audio feeds. The studio engineer will adjust frequencies and receivers as needed. The Satellite van operator will call a satellite operator just prior to air to get permission to come up on an assigned satellite transponder. The WKTV live race coverage begins at 7:00am, so everybody must be on site, setup, aligned and tested by that time.

At the studio, setup will begin on Friday, 7/6 with cabling all of the receivers video and audio outputs to the station switcher and audio console. All of the video signals have to be locked to the same reference and appear at the switcher at the same time. This is accomplished through a device called a "Frame Synchronizer." The studio engineer will borrow these devices from areas of the TV station that will not be used on the morning of the race, so some of it has to be cabled and tested between 5am and 7am on race day.

Each location will communicate on a conference line to the studio via a cell phone from all of the sites except the finish line. At the finish line, the Remote Produciton van will be connected to hard wired telephone lines, one for connecting the truck intercom to the studio intercom and the other for an audio feed from the studio that will be transmitted to talent beltpacks and fed to an earpiece for each on-air host & guest. The director in the truck and the director at the studio can interrupt that audio feed with a push of a button and talk directly to the host/guest. At the other remote sites, the earpiece audio is transmitted from the studio to a beltpack receiver and the director at the studio can interrupt.

A new challenge this year is video monitoring. When Time Warner took over the Adelphia CATV system, they rebuilt the system to offer more services. I n the process to (obtain the required bandwidth), a six second delay was introduced on the system. This would be too confusing for a host or guest, watching their picture come up on a screen six seconds after they are cued to talk, so we will no longer use CATV as a monitoring feed. This will require us to setup off-air antennas at each site to receive a feed from our Channel-2 transmitter in the town of Fairfield.

Boilermaker week is an exhausting experience for the WKTV engineering department, but one well worth every second of it when race day arrives. The excitement of being in the middle of such a huge event in a market the size of Utica can't be beat. We will do our best to bring the excitement to your TV with great pictures and sound. When it's all over, we will start our planning for 2008 and we welcome you to help. If you have suggestions or comments on how we can improve, please let us know.

Tom McNicholl
Chief Engineer
WKTV, Utica, NY

"Blogging" Vlog #4: Founder Interview

My Memories Of The Big Run

I was never the 'athletic type'. That's why running the Boilermaker meant so much to me. I couldn't believe I actually did it! To be at the starting line with thousands of runners from around the world...it's so exciting! The memory that stays with me is of looking at a sign that read, "Welcome Boilermaker athletes, family & friends". I was like, "wow--that's us! (me & my sister, Lisa) We're Boilermaker athletes! Wild! I also remember turning onto Valley View Road (about 3 miles into the 9.3 mile run) and hearing someone yell "It's over! So-and-so won!" It's over. I'm thinking, "good, can we stop now???" Lisa used to try and get me to go watch the race with her. I laughed. "You want me to drag myself out of bed to watch all these crazy people run through the streets of Utica?!?!?!?" Yeah, RIGHT! Then, I had to start covering it for the news. Everyone was right. You do 'catch the bug'. In January of 1998, I started Boot Camp at the Fitness Mill at the recommendation of WKTV photographer Earl Davis. I was in so much pain the first week, I could hardly raise my arms to wash my hair. I started running and was up to about 50 miles a week by my 1st Boilermaker. The race itself was amazing and I firmly believe everyone who is physically able to do it should. But WHAT A TOUGH COURSE! Every part has its challenges. Culver is tough because it's soooo loooong and parts are uphill, but you don't realize it until you run it. Valley View Road and the golf course....aaahhhh...nothing like running 1+ mile uphill! An engineer at WKTV gave me the best hill advice: "dig into the hills". It helps. You have to kind of lean forward--best running advice I ever got. Burrstone is tough because there is no shelter from the now-stronger sun and it's all uphill. The tough part you wouldn't expect: Whitesboro Street! You turn the corner and you think you're almost done and it takes FOREVER to finish! All seven Boilermakers I ran I wanted to quit on Whitesboro Street. Many times my body almost made the decision for me! I remember one year looking at an old, dirty mattress someone had discarded on Champlin Ave. right before Whitesboro--I wanted to just collapse onto it so badly!
It's funny-- every time I near that finish line I tell myself, "don't worry-you'll never have to run another foot as long as you live! It's almost over!" Yet here I am again! I guess I'll never learn :-)

Last Call For Registration

For those of you not registered to participate in the 30th Running of America's Largest 15K Road Race - TODAY IS YOUR LAST CHANCE!

Tonight from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Babe's Macaroni Bar and Grill will be offering the opportunity to register for the Boilermaker.

NEWSChannel 2's Jason Powles will be live at Babe's tonight during the Live and Five Newshour and NEWSChannel 2 at 6:00.

Remember, this is YOUR LAST CHANCE to make your own memories at the Boilermaker.

Running the Boilermaker? Get on TV!

Every June when we put together the commercials and video elements for the Boilermaker, we spend hours looking at tape after tape of you guys running. Help us out, don't be afraid to run up to one of the 12 cameras we have on the course and show off. Every year "crazy characters" make appearances. The WOUR Chain gang, backwards runner, and many more top the list. Who's it going to be this year? You never know, you could be the star of next year's campaign.

Camera Locations:
> Starting Line (2 cameras)
>Albany St. & Culver Ave.
> Valley View & the Parkway
> 5K Start, Burrstone Rd.
> Champlain Ave. & Whitesboro St.
> Court & York Sts.
> Post Race Party, F.X. Matt Brewery
> Post Race, Polish Community Center
> Finish Line (2 “fixed” cameras)
> Wireless roving camera

"Blogging" Vlog #3: Assistant Race Director Interview

Your Memories

Remember that we are asking you to submit your memories in honor of the 30th running of the Boilermaker Road Race. Whether you took on the challenge of running 15 kilometers, volunteered your morning to pass out water to the runners, or came out early in the morning and sat in front of Utica College watching as the runners passed Burrstone Road - we want to hear your memories! Click on the comment section below to post your recollection of a great experience.

Time's Running Out

With less than two weeks to go before the Boilermaker a few things to remember. First, I hope you signed up. Officals have closed the registration. However, there is a last minute registration drive Wednesday night at Babe's Macaroni Grill and Bar from 5-8pm. I suggest if you haven't signed up, you need to go there. Also for some of you first time runners, don't change whatever routine you are in now. Just remember to keep hydrated in this hot weather. The race time temps will likely be in the 60's, at least thats what past history has shown us.
Here's a tip: while taking water at the Boilermaker, especially during hot and humid weather, put one cup of water in you, and one on you! Special thanks to old friend Joe Kelly for that one. One other tip, unless your sneakers are totally shot, don't buy a brand new pair the week of the Boilermaker. That could cause problems.
Check back in later in the week for more tips and thanks for checking in with Blogging the Boilermaker.

"Blogging" Vlog #2: Jason's Last Minute Tips

Boilermaker Golf Tournament

"Blogging" Vlog #1: Welcome

NEWSCHANNEL 2 COVERAGE NOTES: WKTV.com

Each year NEWSChannel 2 brings you the most complete Boilermaker Coverage online on wktv.com. We have a multitude of sections designed to bring you the most complete Boilermaker coverage on the web.



2007 COVERAGE

FINISH LINE VIDEO: We will bring you two minute clips of every person crossing the finish line. All you need to know is the finishing time of the person you are looking for and you can view their clip.

PHOTO GALLERY: We ask you to send in your photos from the Boilermaker Road Race or Post-Party. You can either upload and submit them on our photo gallery section or as always, email them to witness@wktv.com.

RESULTS SEARCH: You can enter your name and town and see your exact finishing time and place.

EVENT COVERAGE: We will bring you the finishing results from all Boilermaker events.

INTERACTIVE RACE MAP: Familiarize yourself with the race route and see where important Central New York places are relative to it. You can even chose a spot on the route to get the best view for watching.

HELICOPTER FLY-OVER: WKTV got a helicopter to fly over the race route in 2000 and you can view the complete route. Coming Soon.

RACE PARTICIPANT MAP: Do you want to see where runners come from? We have a world map developed that shows where all participants are from.

EVENT INFORMATION
Click under this section for specific events from Boilermaker weekend.

PAST COVERAGE
Click under this section for coverage from past years.

RUNNING LINKS
Click under this section for links to Boilermaker and running related web sites

NEWSCHANNEL 2 COVERAGE NOTES: WKTV On Air

Each year NEWSChannel 2 brings you the most complete Boilermaker Coverage on air on WKTV. This year is no different and we have a weekend full of detailed and plenary coverage plans.

FRIDAY
5:00 PM: NEWSChannel 2 Live at Five Newshour
- Live From the CDPHP Health & Fitness Expo

6:00 PM: NEWSChannel 2 at 6:00
- Live From the CDPHP Health & Fitness Expo

7:00 PM: NEWSChannel 2 All Access Show

7:30 PM: Go The Distance Recap Show

SATURDAY
9:00 AM: NEWSChannel 2 Weekend Today
- Utica National Insurance Group Youth Run Start

7:00 PM: Utica National Insurance Group Youth Run Show

7:30 PM: NEWSChannel 2 8K Walk Show

6:00 PM: NEWSChannel 2 Weekend
- Complete Coverage

11:00 PM: NEWSChannel 2 Weekend
- Complete Coverage

SUNDAY
7:00 AM: The 30th Running of The Boilermaker Complete Coverage

Hit the Ground Running

Hello everyone I'm Jason Powles. I've covered the Boilermaker Road Race for the last eleven years. Every year this race captivates the Central New York community and those that come here on the second weekend in July. For the next several days we'll be talking all Boilermaker, all the time. We invite you to respond and add your thoughts as we inch closer to the largest 15K in the country. It's the 30th and we plan on giving you the best access to all things Boilermaker related. It will be a record field and a record crowd on July 8th. Check back throughout the week for the latest.