Boilermaker 15K M70-74: Cummins Claims the Crown in Utica's Humidity

• Brian Cummins, 70, wins M70-74 in 1:12:48 (7:49/mi), the only finisher in the group to break 1:13:00.
• James Foster, 73, takes 2nd in 1:13:12 — just 24 seconds back — with both men running sub-7:52 pace on a muggy 75°F morning.
• Steve Hornung and John Delaney lock up 3rd and 4th in 1:16:57 and 1:17:22 respectively, separated by only 25 seconds after 9.3 miles.
• 90 men finished in the M70-74 field, with the top 20 all coming in under 1:37.

Brian Cummins of Venice, FL made a statement in the M70-74 race, crossing in 1:12:48 at a 7:49/mi clip to take the win on a heavy, humid Utica morning — 75°F and 90% humidity is no small obstacle for anyone, let alone a 70-year-old running sub-8:00 pace. What makes his performance even sharper is how he ran the back half: his gender-wide place improved from 698th at the first checkpoint to 593rd at the finish, a climb of over 100 spots that signals a strong second half while others faded in the conditions.

James Foster, 73, of Chittenango, NY made an even more dramatic move through the field — going from 776th among men at the first checkpoint all the way to 616th at the finish, a surge of 160 places. He crossed in 1:13:12, and while that's 24 seconds behind Cummins, Foster's second-half split was the 598th-fastest among all women in the field — nearly matching Cummins' 596th-fastest mark. The gap at the line was real, but Foster was closing.

Behind them, Steve Hornung (1:16:57, 8:15/mi) and John Delaney (1:17:22, 8:18/mi) ran a tight race for the final podium spots. Hornung, 70, of Oneonta, posted the 831st-fastest split among women on the 5K-to-10K segment, while Delaney, 71, of Rome, improved his position on the back half. Twenty-five seconds separated them at the line — a gap that could easily have flipped with a different closing mile.

Lee Pollock rounded out the top five in 1:24:04 (9:01/mi), with Gary Tarolli (1:26:04), John Eckert (1:27:09), Frank Combopiano (1:27:20), Ricky McRobert (1:27:24), and Kevin Kennelly (1:27:42) forming a tight cluster from 6th through 10th — all within 98 seconds of each other. Philip Mulry, 74, of Chapel Hill was the oldest man in the top 11, finishing 11th in 1:27:55.