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Post by Clipper on Jul 7, 2022 7:49:12 GMT -5
Do any of you attend the race as spectators or runners?
For many years my ex-wife and I faithfully took up our spot on the corner of Meyers Ave and Champlin Ave with my in-laws, equipped with lawn chairs, a small cooler of cold drinks, thermos bottles of hot coffee and most importantly, a few boxes of fresh Holland Farms goodies.
We knew several people that ran the race and we would watch for them and cheer them on as they went by. I was never a big fan of hanging out for long at the after-race chaos at the Brewery. It usually involved parking quite some distance from the brewery and walking two or three blocks just to mingle, grab a hot dog and a Saranac root beer or two and get out of there before the crowd began to morph into a stumbling herd of beer sloshing drunks.
It looks like the weather is going to be great for the race. I remember some years when it was unbearably hot to even sit and watch the race, much less to participate.
I understand a desire to be physically fit, and the joy some people find in running, but I never was able to understand how pounding a person's knees, ankles and feet on hard pavement for 9+ miles could possibly bring a person the untold pleasure it seems to generate.
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Post by kit on Jul 7, 2022 8:21:53 GMT -5
I'll be going as usual as an Emergency Communications ham radio operator. We work with the EMTs and Water Stop officials. There are 30-40 of us licensed hams throughout the course under the direction of the NCO (Net Control Operator) and we relay any emergency communications to the NCO who is in contact with the Police, Medical professionals, and Fire departments. I started in 2000 and have only missed 2 years... 1 because of Covid (there was no race) and one because of illness.
It's a long day for us as we have to be on Post at 5:00 AM when the police start cordoning off the streets, and once the barricades go up they don't let anyone through, even us hams. My Post (at Faxton Hospital) secures when the last runner goes by, which is usually around 11:00 or so. So yes, it's a long day and I'm usually pretty pooped by the time it's over, but I enjoy being of service to the Boilermaker and the thousands of runners and the public spectators. It's very satisfying.
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Post by Clipper on Jul 7, 2022 9:12:14 GMT -5
Thank you to ALL of you hams for providing the on-site real time communication that assists in speeding medical assistance when the need arises. I am sure that is not the only function you guys supply but certainly is one of the functions isn't it?
I knew you had been doing it for a long time.
I wonder if Kim Meyer and her son Stephen are running the race this year. I was in touch with her up until a year or so ago. We used to be at the RV Park at Turning Stone at the same time every year. Now we stay in a hotel when we come up there and I guess they park their motorhome at her parent's house.
Stay safe and stay hydrated while spending that extended period of time there. Are you set up in a shelter such as a tent to keep out of the sun and weather?
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Post by BHU on Jul 7, 2022 17:06:21 GMT -5
A buddy of mine ran it a few years ago & he said never again. Even though he trained he said it was brutal, & he's never run it again.
I parked myself on Culver ave in a lawn chair a few years ago bright & early. I couldn't believe the number of runners that went by. I kept kept getting the evil eye from some of the runners as they passed by. I was a smoker at the time, so that may have been why. Hey, nobody's perfect.
Never went to the after race party. Not my cup of tea.
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Post by kit on Jul 8, 2022 7:07:56 GMT -5
Clipper... no, we don't have shelters. We're out in the sun, rain, cold or whatever the weather brings, just like the runners and spectators. Our job is safety. Other than watching for runners falling or otherwise in distress and reporting it to the EMTs and our NCO, we also keep the spectators out of the roads which the runners appreciate. We also watch, and try to correct, any situation that is unsafe for anyone. By the way, I haven't seen Kim or Stephen (or Kim's parents) in a long time.
Yes, BHU, the Boilermaker 15k is a brutal run. I get exhausted just watching them.
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Post by Clipper on Jul 8, 2022 8:59:21 GMT -5
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Post by Atticus Pizzaballa on Jul 8, 2022 18:05:35 GMT -5
I am running it this year!!!!! In my dreams, LOL
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Post by kit on Jul 12, 2022 7:57:14 GMT -5
Clipper... yes, that's me in the video but I'm to the right of Steve (to his left). Some of that video was taken 2 weeks ago at the ham radio Field Days at the Kirkland Town Park which is a nationwide event from 2:00PM Saturday to 2:00PM Sunday 'round the clock. Hams all over the country get on the air and make verifiable contacts with other hams. There are certificates for the most contacts.
Our jobs at the Boilermaker were for 'Health and Safety' of the runners and the public. There were 31 of us. Slightly different purposes but both ham radio oriented. There are no certificates given to us for the Boilermaker, but we do get a nice tee-shirt, lapel pin, and a whopping Volunteer Picnic (which we had last night at the Utica Aud). There are several hundred volunteers that make the Boilermaker happen and the picnic is a nice way for us to 'unwind' with a delicious catered buffet and of course the West End Brewery/Saranac Brewery had it's trailer there with free beer or soda for everyone. I've been doing ham radio at the Boilermaker for 22 years and remember several years ago chatting on the radio with Dave Griffin (N2CHI) before the race.
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Post by Clipper on Jul 12, 2022 8:44:33 GMT -5
I am glad that they recognize your efforts with the picnic, shirt, and lapel pin. The services you supply definitely are praise worthy and deserving of the recognition. I remember Dave one year being set up at the State Hospital. Having you guys stationed along the race course is a major positive safety wise as well as just for general related communications. I am sure that you truly enjoy the experience also and enjoy the chance to be with other hams and to meet at the picnic. I wonder how many of the runners are even aware of your presence or the added safety service that your presence provides.
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