F35-39 at the B.A.A. 10K: Myler Dominates in the Heat

• Makenna Myler wins F35-39 in 33:07 (5:20/mi), finishing 12th among all women on a 93°F morning in Boston.
• Bria Wetsch claims 2nd in 35:33, closing with the 19th-fastest women's split on the final stretch (8K to finish) to seal the runner-up spot.
• A 2:26 gap separates Myler from Wetsch — the largest margin between any two consecutive podium spots — while Brianne Gallagher rounds out the top three in 38:39.
• Eleanor Mullen and Jamie Axelrod both clocked 42:59 to land 11th and 12th respectively, separated only by the timing mat.

With 525 finishers in the F35-39 age group braving one of the hotter editions of this race — 93°F, a stiff 15 mph wind, and the unforgiving pavement of Boston — Makenna Myler made it look controlled. Running 5:20 per mile, she held 11th among all women through the first 5K, slipped briefly to 12th by 8K, and held that position to the tape. Her 12th-place women's finish, combined with a 12th-fastest women's split on the 5K-to-8K segment, tells the story of a runner who didn't just lead her age group — she was trading blows with the fastest women in the entire field.

Bria Wetsch of Centennial, CO, ran a smart, progressive race. She sat 21st among women through the first two checkpoints, then unleashed the 19th-fastest women's closing split from 8K to the finish to move up a spot and lock in 2nd in the age group at 35:33. Third-place Brianne Gallagher of Allston, MA, also showed strength in the middle miles, posting the 35th-fastest women's split on the 5K-to-8K segment, though she ceded a few places in the women's field over the final stretch, finishing in 38:39.

The battle for 4th and 5th was tighter than the clock suggests on paper. Ida Assefa of Boston finished 4th in 39:54 (6:25/mi), while Kelsey Lebuffe of Concord actually gained ground late — moving from 43rd among women at 5K all the way to 39th by the finish — to take 5th in 40:45. Down the leaderboard, the 11th-and-12th photo was the day's closest call: Eleanor Mullen and Jamie Axelrod both registered 42:59, with Mullen edging Axelrod by the narrowest of margins the timing system could detect.