M0-14: Ishaan Kanagaraj Edges Spencer Clemans by Five Seconds in Brutal Boston Heat

• Ishaan Kanagaraj, 14, of Belmont, wins M0-14 in 35:21 — a 5:41/mi pace through 93°F heat.
• Five seconds separated 1st from 2nd: Spencer Clemans (35:26) matched Kanagaraj stride for stride across the entire race.
• Seamus Collins, 13, of Dorchester, claimed 3rd in 42:38 — a gap of more than seven minutes back to 4th, making the podium picture clear.
• Calvin Johnson, 12, of Proctorsville, VT, was the youngest finisher in the listed field, completing the course in 48:30 at 7:48/mi.

Twenty-four boys toed the line at the B.A.A. 10K on a punishing June morning in Boston — 93 degrees, a 15 mph wind, and humidity that made every mile feel earned. At the front, Kanagaraj and Clemans ran in lockstep. Kanagaraj held a narrow edge through the 5K checkpoint and never fully surrendered it, crossing in 35:21. Clemans pushed all the way to the line, posting the 63rd-fastest split among women on the second half of the course — a marker of genuine speed in a large field — but came up five seconds short at 35:26. At roughly 5:41–5:42 per mile in that heat, both performances were remarkable for 14-year-olds.

Third place belonged to 13-year-old Seamus Collins, who ran a composed 42:38 (6:52/mi) to finish well clear of the rest of the field. Collins' 8K-to-finish split ranked 289th among women in the broader race — solid legwork to close out a warm afternoon. Behind him, Rohan Bhide and Samuel Morel, both 13, ran within 77 seconds of each other (45:36 and 46:53) to round out the top five, with Bhide holding a comfortable cushion on Morel through the final stretch.

Further back, 12-year-old Will Resnick of Concord finished 20th in 1:05:30, and Calvin Johnson — also 12, making the trip from Proctorsville, VT — came in 8th at 48:30, showing that the youngest competitors in the group were more than capable of handling the distance. All 24 finishers earned their medals on a day when the weather was as much of an opponent as anyone on the start list.