UTICA, NY (July 10, 2026) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The PRRO Circuit returns to action at the 49th Boilermaker 15K presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield on Sunday morning, July 12 in Utica, NY. The summer tradition is expecting another top elite field, including American Reid Buchanan, who has produced a stellar 2026 PRRO Circuit racing season so far, and Ethiopian Tsigie Gebreselama, two-time Lisbon Half Marathon winner. The Boilermaker will award $65,100 in prize money, including $7000 for each race champion and $14,500 in U.S. prize money.

The race winners will also earn eligibility to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 29th PRRO Championship hosted by the Quad-City Times Bix 7 on July 25, 2026 in Davenport, IA. In addition, Boilermaker finishers 2-10 will earn points for the PRRO Circuit points system, with the top 5 scorers per gender before Bix 7 also qualifying to compete for the PRRO Super Bonus at the championship race.

At Boilermaker, the following two athletes – Victor Shitsama (KEN) and Teshome Mekonen (USA) – will need to finish in the top 6 and top 2, respectively, to secure enough PRRO points to finish in the top 5 of the PRRO Circuit points standings and thus qualify to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at Bix 7.

Here are the top athletes expected to compete at Boilermaker:

MEN: Alex Matata (KEN), 2025-26 Istanbul Half Marathon winner (59:40 & 1:00:01); Reid Buchanan (USA), 2026 Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K winner, Steamboat Classic 4 Mile runner-up and PRRO Super Bonus qualifier; Hillary Bor (USA), 2026 USA Half Marathon and 2025 USA 20K Championship runner-up; Haftu Knight (USA), 19th 2026 Boston Marathon (2:07:38); Kiprono Sitonik (KEN), 4th Gifu Half Marathon (1:00:38); Futsum Zienasellassie (USA), 2026 Chicago Half Marathon runner-up (1:01:37) and 2025 USA Marathon champion & third Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K; Victor Shitsama (KEN), 7th 2026 Gate River Run 15K; Kirubel Erassa (USA), fourth 2025 USA 5K Championship; Teshome Mekonen (USA), 10th 2025 Boilermaker 15K; Awet Beraki (ERI), 7th 2026 Houston Marathon; and Charlie Sweeney (USA), 19th 2025 Boston Marathon

WOMEN: Tsigie Gebreselama (ETH), 2025-26 Lisbon Half Marathon winner (1:04:41 & 1:04:48); Melknat Wudu (ETH), 2025 Falmouth Road Race winner; Priscah Cherono (KEN), 2026 Los Angeles Marathon champion; Alem Tsadik (ETH), 4th 2026 Los Angeles Marathon; Everlyn Kemboi (KEN), PRRO Circuit women’s points leader and third 2026 Gate River Run 15K; Edna Kiplagat (KEN), third 2025 Boilermaker 15K; Netsanet Desta (ETH), 8th 2026 Barcelona Half Marathon (1:08:10); Selah Busienei (KEN), 9th 2026 Lisbon Half Marathon; Betty Chepkwony (KEN), two-time Rome Marathon winner (2023, 2025); Jackie Gaughan (USA), 2024 California International Marathon runner-up and 9th Boilermaker 15K; and Stephanie Bruce (USA), 2024 Pittsburgh Half Marathon winner and 2022 USA 10K champion

The top 5 current points leaders are: for men, Graydon Morris (USA), Mezgebu Sime (ETH), James Mwaura (USA), Wesley Kiptoo (KEN), Getinet Gedamu (ETH) & William Amponsah (GHA), and for women, Everlyn Kemboi (KEN), Rachael Rudel (USA), Molly Born (USA), Fiona O’Keeffe (USA) & Cynthia Limo (KEN). Complete point standings can be found HERE.

“As the penultimate race of the 2025-26 PRRO Circuit series, the Boilermaker 15K, an American Classic Road Race, has attracted top notch international fields, and the competition should be fast and fierce,” said Don Kardong, PRRO Circuit President. “In addition, the last automatic $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus qualifiers and final PRRO Circuit points standings for Super Bonus status will be determined on the streets of Utica.”

Last year, Boilermaker hosted the PRRO Championship, and the PRRO titlists were John Korir and Veronica Loleo of Kenya, running 42 minutes, 44 seconds and 49:37, respectively.

The Boilermaker again sold-out its events: the 15K with 10,600 entrants, the 5K with 4,500 entrants and the Walk and Kids Run on Saturday, July 11 with 1,700-plus entrants.

The PRRO Circuit showcases world class competition at six of America’s Classic Road Races, the Gate River Run 15K in Jacksonville, FL, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, DC, the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, WA, the Steamboat Classic 4 Mile in Peoria, IL, the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY and the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, IA. The 2025-26 PRRO Circuit offers more than $440,000 in guaranteed prize money overall with $148,100 for U.S. athletes. 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.

Schedule and PRRO Super Bonus event qualifiers below:

THE PRRO CIRCUIT 2025-26 SCHEDULE

Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 26, 2025, Davenport, IA

$50,000 in prize money

WINNERS: Alex Maier*, USA, 32:02 and Vibian Chepkirui*, Kenya, 36:41

Gate River Run 15K, March 7, 2026, Jacksonville, FL

$72,000 in prize money ($23,000 U.S. prize money) plus $5000 Equalizer gender race and World, U.S. & course record bonus money

WINNERS: Mohammed El Youssfi*, Morocco, 43:26 and Chloe Herbiet*, Belgium, 47:58

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, April 12, 2026, Washington, DC

$80,600 in prize money ($48,600 U.S. prize money) plus performance bonuses

WINNERS: Mohammed El Youssfi*, Morocco, 46:17 and Asayech Ayichew*, Ethiopia, 50:37

50th Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 3, 2026, Spokane, WA

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

WINNERS: Reid Buchanan*, USA, 34:30 and Kasandra Parker*, USA, 39:21

Steamboat Classic 4 Mile, June 6, 2026, Peoria, IL

$43,200 in U.S. prize money plus 2 Mile Prime and U.S. record bonus money

WINNERS: Ahmed Muhumed*, USA, 17:57 and Kasandra Parker*, USA, 20:16

Boilermaker 15K, July 12, 2026, Utica, NY

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

THE 29th PRRO CHAMPIONSHIP

Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 25, 2026, Davenport, IA

$50,000 in prize money as well as:

$10,000 PRRO Super Bonus to male or female Bix winners who are either defending PRRO Champions, have won any of the PRRO Circuit 2025-26 races or finished top 5 in the points system (Super Bonus split if both eligible male and female win)
$2500 to male or female Championship winners who have not won any races on the 2025-26 Circuit
$1500 to eligible PRRO event champions, males and females, finishing in places 2-10

*Qualified to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2026 PRRO Championship.

With their 2025 PRRO Championship titles at Boilermaker, John Korir and Veronica Loleo were the first two athletes eligible to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2026 PRRO Championship hosted by the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in July. In pursuit of the Super Bonus, the pair will join the winners of the 2025-26 Circuit events as well as the top 5 per gender in the PRRO Circuit points system (2-10 finishers score points at each current Circuit race; except, 2-5 finishers score at a U.S.-only Circuit race).

To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 18 world and 24 U.S. road records, awarded more than $9.1 million in prize money and seen more than 2.8 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $2.2 million including $218,500 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, the event winners on the current Circuit and the top 5 in the PRRO points system are eligible to compete for the

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