F0-14: Avery Gibson Dominates in the Boston Heat

• Avery Gibson (14, Sudbury) won the F0-14 age group in 46:56 — a 7:33/mi average — more than 3:38 ahead of runner-up Casey Costello.
• Casey Costello (14, Newton) ran the 226th-fastest women's split on the 8K-to-finish segment, closing strongly to secure 2nd in 50:34.
• Sarah Baffone (12, Hockessin, DE) claimed 3rd at 54:58, the youngest athlete on the podium, edging Leah Larson (4th, 55:06) by just eight seconds.
• All 19 starters in the F0-14 age group finished — a clean sweep on a brutally hot 93°F afternoon in Boston.

Avery Gibson made this race look straightforward, which is no small feat when the thermometer reads 93°F and the wind is gusting at 15 mph through the streets of Boston. Running 7:33 per mile, she crossed in 46:56 and was never seriously threatened, building a margin that only grew as the race wore on — her gender place drifted just slightly from 154th to 163rd among all women, a sign of steady, controlled effort rather than a late fade.

Behind her, Casey Costello turned in the more dramatic performance. She entered the 8K checkpoint ranked 377th among women but unleashed the 226th-fastest women's split on the final stretch to close in 50:34 and lock up 2nd place. The contrast with Leah Larson (4th) tells its own story: Larson was 430th among women at the 5K mark but slipped to 711th by the finish, posting the 841st-fastest women's split on the 5K-to-8K segment — the heat clearly taking its toll in the middle miles.

The podium's third step went to 12-year-old Sarah Baffone, who traveled from Hockessin, Delaware, and held off Larson by eight seconds in a tight battle for bronze. Baffone actually gained ground in the women's field throughout the race, moving from 935th to 691st — one of the stronger progressions in the age group. Elizabeth Gregory (5th, 55:47) and Yuri Masui (6th, 55:53) rounded out a competitive middle pack separated by just six seconds, while all 19 girls in the field crossed the finish line — no small achievement on one of the hotter days Boston has seen for this race.