Just as runners from across the world train and prepare for the 49^th Running of the Boilermaker 15K Road Race presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, participants from each of the health insurance company’s five upstate New York regions are preparing in person and virtually for the big race.

Led by Chad Williams, pharmacy operations coordinator and Carly McCabe, BlueCross BlueShield Liaison and divisional strategist, both from the Rochester area, employees area are preparing. Veteran Boilermaker runners and first timers alike have been following training plans developed by McCabe, a self-described amateur professional runner and inspired and encouraged along the way by Williams, whose personal battle with training through limitations of Cerebral palsy (CP) were featured in the buildup of the 2025 edition of the race.

From group training runs to a virtual running club which has been developed within the organization, McCabe and Williams have created a running culture which will last throughout the year.

“I am so excited to be a part of the Boilermaker training team because as a runner someone has always been there to encourage me, every step of my journey,” said McCabe, who wins over 20 races a year throughout the northeast. “This is a great way for me to help encourage others to be healthy through the sport that I love.”

For Williams, helping encourage others to get started and work past their fears of running the famously hilly course in the heat of July represents a new path in his incredible story.

“This is another of the amazing opportunities that have come with sharing my story so openly like I did last year,” he said. “I have had the chance to connect with people both inside and outside of the cerebral palsy community who have reached out to tell me that my story inspired them to peruse goals that they once felt were out of reach.”

Inspiration that has spread worldwide

When Williams crossed the finish line at last year’s Boilermaker last July, it represented a huge step in his lifelong battle with Cerebral palsy (CP).

Since he was diagnosed at two years old with CP, a group of conditions that cause difficulty with movement and coordination caused by damage to the developing brain, most often before birth, he had always kept his battle private. But as he began to prepare for last year’s race, his decision to share his journey to the finish line has had a profound impact both locally and across the globe.

Training and running with symptoms which include spasticity, stiff and weak muscles, tremors and more often vary by the day offers special challenges for Williams, requiring adaptive gear,  physical therapy and the ability to change his plans based on how his body feels each day, something that he passes along to runners from the CP community and those he’s helping to coach through the run club.

“The best advice that I can give to any runner is to listen to what your body is telling you,” he said. “As someone living with CP, there are good days and days that are a struggle. The best gift that I give myself is permission to sway from a planned training run or race if it is going to mean risking an injury.”

Williams advice and inspiration has continued to spread in ways he could never have dreamed of since last July. He’s appeared as a guest speaker for CP conferences from as far away as South Africa, organized a 5K virtual road race to benefit those living with CP, and started an adaptive athlete scholarship which is about to award its first winner and launched a podcast to give others a forum to share their stories and struggles.

“I am so thankful of the opportunities that have come my way over the past year,” he said. “I started with one race that I needed as a way to show myself what I was capable of, I never expected it to lead to me being able to share my story with a larger group of people and having it resonate in the way that it has.”

Williams is perhaps most proud of the personal connections he’s made within the CP community, where people have reached out to him to let him know how his story has impacted their journeys.

“I have been in awe of how many people have reached out to me,” he shared. “Whether it is someone from the Rochester area reaching out to have lunch or parents of children with CP letting me know how much it means for them and their child to have an example of what is possible, there is rarely a week that goes by that someone hasn’t contacted me and it has led me to travel to multiple races in New Jersey both to compete and watch a couple of young men complete his first mile-long race.”

 Even as he is busy spending his time training, competing and helping others, the opportunity to help his co-workers get ready for the big race in Utica was something he couldn’t pass up.

“I feel like helping train others for the race is kind of a full circle moment,” he said. “I am a relatively new runner in the grand scheme, so I was hesitant at first, but I have quickly realized just how much everyone’s encouragement has meant to me and I love being able to pay it forward.

Healthier tomorrows start today

Excellus BCBS has long been the presenting sponsor of both the Boilermaker 15K and the Corporate Cup Competition, which allows organizations of all sizes to compete against each other using their f fastest runner’s finishing times. It is a relationship rooted in the organization’s commitment to helping build healthier communities.

“The Boilermaker is a special race to the Mohawk Valley, Said Tony Vitagliano, senior vice president provider network engagement and regional president, Utica. “Beyond race day, the physical, social and emotional gains that runners are making represent a victory for personal health that lasts a lifetime.”

With more than 40 runners from across the organization competing in both the 15K and 5k races, it made perfect sense to start a training team to link everyone together, according to McCabe.

“Every runner has their own reasons for being out on the course, from health and fitness to social activities,” she said. “The common thread in every story is that every runner is working towards a goal and every step they are taking benefits them on race day and beyond in their personal fitness journeys.”

As race day approaches, McCabe is proud to be a competitor and a facilitator in other’s finish line goals.

“As a runner, I know how difficult the Boilermaker is for people who have trained for months to get to the starting line,” she concludes. “I consider it a blessing to make the difference in someone’s race day through sharing the same encouragement and love that so many have offered me.”