Thousands of people will soon once again race through the city of Utica in the Boilermaker Road Race, which makes a big return for its 45th edition this Sunday.

This year, the race will resemble more like what it was prior to the pandemic.

“To a certain degree, we’re going back exactly to what we did, but after not doing it for upwards of three years, a lot of these things seem new,” said Boilermaker President Mark Donovan.

Donovan said the race is back to being in-person and without COVID restrictions.

The elite runners are returning, and the Health and Wellness Expo is back at Mohawk Valley Community College.

However, after a few years of things being different, event organizers are still working to attract the same number of racers from before the outbreak of COVID-19.

“The build-it-back-better process is underway. Last year, we were sub-5,000 people; 2019, for context, was 19,000. This year, we’ll be over 11,000. So we’re making our way to where we were,” Donovan said.

Donovan urged spectators to come back out and cheer on the racers.

“You guys are the special sauce for the Boilermaker experience, whether from an elite runner down to a casual runner, you folks lining the streets make a huge difference to them. You’ve done it for many years. Come on out and do it again,” he said.

Donovan said almost 200 people are also signed up for the Boilermaker From Home, which allows racers to participate in the Boilermaker, but to complete the 15K or 5K on their own and at their own location.