F80+ Boilermaker: Susan Gay Owns the Field

• Sole finisher: Susan Gay, 81, crossed in 2:02:37 at a 13:09/mi average pace.
• Complete sweep: 1st in the F80+ field — the only finisher, and she still had to earn every step of it.

Susan Gay of Edmeston, NY had the F80+ field entirely to herself on a humid Utica morning — 66°F but 88% humidity making every mile feel heavier than the thermometer suggests. None of that stopped the 81-year-old from covering all 9.3 miles and posting a 2:02:37 finish.

The race unfolded steadily for Gay. Her women's field position drifted back across the second and third segments of the course — moving from 2,256th among women after 5K to 2,810th at 10K and 3,057th at the finish — a natural reflection of a measured, consistent effort while faster runners completed their final miles. Her 5K-to-10K split ranked 3,007th among women on that segment, a data point that simply confirms she was running her own race, at her own pace, in her own category.

At 81, finishing a 15K is the headline. Susan Gay did exactly that.