Boilermaker 5K F70-74: Femia Runs Away With It in Utica's July Heat

• Patricia Femia (1st, 30:46) won by 1:17 over Richelle Delmerico — the largest gap at the top of a tightly packed F70-74 field of 24.
• Delmerico (32:03) and Mary Schmutz (32:10) battled for the final podium spots, separated by just 7 seconds at the line.
• Lenore Valuckas finished 4th in 32:51, just 41 seconds off the podium — rounding out a remarkably compressed top four spanning only 2:05.
• All 24 finishers crossed the line under 84°F heat and humidity, making every clock tick count that much more.

Running through Utica on a warm July morning with temperatures at 84°F and humidity hovering at 54%, Patricia Femia of New Hartford made her mark early and never looked back. The 72-year-old crossed in 30:46 at a 9:54/mi pace — a full 1:17 clear of the field — to claim the F70-74 title decisively. In conditions that sap the legs and test the will, that kind of margin is a statement.

Behind Femia, the race for 2nd and 3rd was a genuine contest. Clifton Park's Richelle Delmerico (32:03, 10:19/mi) and Baldwinsville's Mary Schmutz (32:10, 10:21/mi) finished within 7 seconds of each other — a gap that would feel like nothing on a cool day and like everything after 3.1 miles in July heat. Lenore Valuckas of Sauquoit was just 41 seconds further back in 4th (32:51), meaning the top four were separated by just over two minutes total.

The rest of the field spread out across a wide range of finishing times, with Susan Schafer taking 5th in 34:38 and Arlyn Doherty — making the trip from Villa Rica, Georgia — finishing 6th in 36:19. Mae Fitzgerald of Ulster Park was 9th in 38:11, while the back half of the named finishers pushed through to times ranging into the mid-40s, with Nina Kratzenberg rounding out the top 20 in 45:42. Every one of them earned it on a hot Utica afternoon.