If you're racing in the Boilermaker, you might see some funny looking spectators at a water station on Utica's Parkway, thanks to the Utica Zoo.

"We bring some of our goats. We bring some of our Tegus which is a type of lizard, snakes, tortoises. I mean a whole big variety. They're all held so you don't have to worry about a snake coming after you or anything like that," said Utica Zoo Marketing Coordinator Mark Simon.

Racers can get into the Utica Zoo for free on Friday, Saturday or Sunday by showing their bib.

"We've been doing a lot of work throughout the year making sure our grounds our gorgeous and we really hope everyone comes and checks out the zoo," Simon said.

Some of the people who will be racing are the same people getting the course ready. About 30 State DOT members are running, including Region 2 Public Information Officer Jimmy Piccola.

"One of the things that we do first is along the course, along the State system, is to check for the pavement, make sure that we fill in any potholes or address any areas that maybe even need some minor repaving," Piccola said. "Once that is done, we turn around and we start doing any of the mowing that needs to be done along the State system."

They will also be placing barrels and helping sweep streets before the race. 

Boilermaker officials say everything is on track so far, but they do have a special request for spectators. They're asking spectators to arrive by 7:00 a.m. and be part of a special video.

"You're going to see two people on a segway before the race starts. One will be a camera person, and one will be someone with a sign telling you to cheer. What we need you to do is come out early and when you see them, react as if they are runners," said Boilermaker Road Race President Mark Donovan.

The video will be used for Boilermaker training purposes as a race simulator for treadmills.

Make sure to watch Spectrum News for special Boilermaker coverage. Tune in on Friday for a special edition of Spectrum News Live at 4:30, and watch live race coverage on Sunday starting at 7:30 a.m.