Yimer, Chelangat Crush Boilermaker 15K Course Records

July 14, 2023

Men’s champion Yimer defended title and also set a U.S. All-Comers record; sold-out American classic road race awarded $65,100 in prize money; next PRRO stop, Quad-City Times Bix 7, on Saturday, July 29

UTICA, NY /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – On Sunday morning, July 9, under temperate, overcast conditions, Jemal Yimer and Jesca Chelangat dominated their respective fields at the 46th Boilermaker 15K Road Race presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the second stop on the PRRO Circuit 2023-24. The winners of the sold-out summer tradition also secured eligibility to compete for the $15,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 27th PRRO Championship hosted by the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in May 2024.

Yimer, the 2018 & 2022 PRRO champion, defended his Boilermaker title, clocking a world leading 42 minutes, 6 seconds over the 9.3 mile certified course, and the 26-year-old Ethiopian also crushed his course record of 42:38 from last year and also set a U.S. All-Comers record (previous 42:14, Shadrack Korir (KEN), 2020 Houston Half-Marathon split). John Korir (42:14), Charles Langat (42:29) and Omar Ait Chitachen (42:33) were also under the previous course standard. The win marked Yimer’s sixth victory at a PRRO event since 2018 (the 2018-19 Credit Union Cherry Blossom, the 2022-23 Boilermaker and the 2018 & 2023 Lilac Bloomsday Run).

In an impressive display of frontrunning, Chelangat, 25, won the women’s race by over 1 minute, crossing the finish line in a world leading 47:33 to shatter Edna Kiplagat’s course record of 47:57 from 2010. Runner-up and fellow Kenyan Sarah Naibei finished second in 48:46.

“This year’s Boilermaker 15K was something extra special, delivering an incredible, historic race with world class and record setting performances,” said Don Kardong, PRRO President and Bloomsday founder.

The 2023 event awarded a $65,100 prize purse with $14,000 U.S.-only money and each Open race champion took home $7000.

Overall, there were more than 11,000 runners and walkers on the streets of Utica, including 6,972 finishers in the 15K and 3,124 5K finishers on Sunday as well as 1,000-plus in the Walk and Kids Run on Saturday, July 8.

Complete race results HERE.

The PRRO Circuit showcases world class competition at four of America’s Classic Road Races™, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, DC, the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, WA, the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY and the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, IA. Current Circuit prize money totals more than $340,000 in guaranteed prize money overall, including $135,500 in U.S.-only money. The PRRO Circuit, a nationwide series of premier non-marathon road racing events, is organized and promoted by the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO), an alliance of race directors.

Because the PRRO Super Bonus went unclaimed at the recent PRRO Championship hosted by the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile on April 2, it increased to $15,000 for the 27th PRRO Championship presented by Bloomsday on May 5, 2024.

PRRO CIRCUIT EVENTS 2023-24

Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 7, 2023, Spokane, WA

$81,000 in prize money ($20,000 U.S. prize money)

WINNERS: Jemal Yimer*, Ethiopia, 33:58 and Yeshi Kalayu*, Ethiopia, 38:49

Boilermaker 15K, July 9, 2023, Utica, NY

$65,100 in prize money ($14,500 U.S. prize money)

WINNERS: Jemal Yimer*, Ethiopia, 42:06 and Jesca Chelangat*, Kenya, 47:33, course records

Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 29, 2023, Davenport, IA

$50,000 in USA Championship prize money

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, April 7, 2024, Washington, DC

$71,000 in prize money ($31,000 USA Championship and RRCA prize money) plus performance bonuses

THE 27th PRRO CHAMPIONSHIP

Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 5, 2024, Spokane, WA

$81,000 in prize money ($20,000 U.S. prize money), tentative

*Qualified to compete for the $15,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2024 PRRO Championship.

To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 17 world and 18 U.S. road records, awarded more than $8.2 million in prize money and seen more than 2.6 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $2.1 million including $183,500 in PRRO Championship bonus money.

PRRO Championship and Circuit Year

The PRRO Circuit, launched in 1995, starts and finishes the Circuit Year at the same event that will also host the season-ending PRRO Championship race. The reigning titlists of the PRRO Championship and the event winners on the current Circuit are eligible to compete for the PRRO Super Bonus at the PRRO Championship.

Visit PRRO.org for more information, including its history and past champions, as well as how to join the PRRO Circuit.

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