UTICA — With less than seven months left until the 2023 Boilermaker Road Race Weekend, the itinerary for the annual road races and events has been released.

The Boilermaker Road Race, keeping with the tradition of taking place on the second Sunday of July, is scheduled for July 9. This will be the 46th edition Utica’s premier summer sporting event will take place.

Priority registration is set to open — earlier than past years — at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9 for people who registered for any of the 2022 races and walks and will close 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. Open registration begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m. and will remain open until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, or until the races reach capacity.

The 15K race will have a capacity for 8,500 racers and the 5K Road Race will have a capacity for 3,500. The Boilermaker Walk will also return after the popularity from reviving the event last year and will have a capacity for 1,000 people.

The cap for the 15K was 14,500 in 2022, though 7,618 people registered. The caps had remained the same for about 10 years. The 5K cap was 4,500 in 2022 with 2,780 registered.

Boilermaker President Mark Donovan previously said registration numbers for events are down from pre-pandemic levels. He said it would take time for those numbers to rebound and the Boilermaker would adjust its registration numbers accordingly.

Participants interested in registering for the Boilermaker’s events can visit boilermaker.com once registration opens. Registration for volunteers to work during Boilermaker Weekend is now open.

“Coming off a fantastic Boilermaker a little over five months ago ... we’re very excited to announce plans for the 46th running of the Boilermaker,” Donovan said Wednesday morning.

“We all know that the last few years presented a string of challenges and a whole bunch of uncertainty, requiring all of us, actually, to change and pivot, often on the fly. The 2023 Boilermaker is also not going to be immune from change, but thankfully this year’s changes are all proactive in nature and none as serious as what we’ve just overcome,” Donovan added.

The Boilermaker Health and Wellness Expo will take place at Mohawk Valley Community College, opening from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, July 7 and continuing the next day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Saranac Post-Race Party will conclude the events for Boilermaker Weekend on Sunday, July 9 from 8 a.m. to noon on the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. grounds.

Altered course planned for 2023 races

Boilermaker officials have altered the traditional course route for the 2023 races, as construction is scheduled to take place during Boilermaker Weekend along parts of Champlin Avenue in Yorkville.

The new course will follow the traditional route just before the 8-mile mark. Runners will then be turning right onto Caroline Street and then left onto Kellogg Avenue before turning onto Whitesboro Street and returning back onto the traditional course route for the remainder of the race.

Temporary mile markers will be set up along the course and the permanent ones will be covered where the course will be altered. That will give runners a better sense of distance and direction.

“While we hate to make any changes to our beloved course, this year’s change should be seamless for both runners and spectators,” Boilermaker Road Race Director Jim Stasaitis said.

The Boilermaker course has not changed since 1997.

The altered course will be re-certified prior to July 9, ensuring that the change will not impact any potential records that could be achieved for the 2023 races. The course is expected to be a one-time change and will be returning back to the traditional course for 2024.