Boilermaker 5K M35-39: Clifford Wins a Tight Battle at the Front

• Michael Clifford (New Hartford, NY) took the M35-39 title in 19:32 (6:17/mi), holding off Matthew Geanacopoulos by just 15 seconds.
• Top three separated by only 25 seconds: Geanacopoulos 2nd in 19:47, Cory White 3rd in 19:57.
• Places 11 and 12 decided by the clock's finest margin: Nick McRorie and Rob Greer both crossed in 23:56 — but McRorie holds 11th, Greer 12th.
• 138 finishers lined up in the M35-39 field on a warm Utica morning — 84°F with humidity in the mid-50s.

Michael Clifford made New Hartford proud, running a 6:17/mi clip to claim the M35-39 title in 19:32 on a day when the heat made every second count. Matthew Geanacopoulos (Springfield, MA) pushed him the whole way, finishing 2nd in 19:47 at 6:22/mi — close enough to keep the pressure on, but Clifford never cracked. Cory White, also of New Hartford, rounded out the podium in 19:57 (6:25/mi), giving his hometown a 1-3 sweep of the top three spots.

Behind the podium, the race spread out more decisively. Michael Bowee (4th, 20:41) and Stephane Slotten (5th, 20:54) were the only other men under 21 minutes, with Slotten's 6:44/mi pace a clear step back from the podium pace. A larger gap then opened to Adam Matth in 6th (22:12, 7:09/mi) and Paul Lyon in 7th (22:46, 7:20/mi), marking a real separation between the front runners and the rest of the field.

The mid-pack produced its own drama. Andrew White (8th, 23:21), Jim McCoy (9th, 23:36), and Wayne Worden (10th, 23:46) ran within 25 seconds of each other across three spots, and then Nick McRorie and Rob Greer — both clocking 23:56 — made it a genuine photo finish for 11th and 12th. The timing system split them, McRorie edging ahead by the narrowest of margins. From there, Jeremy Youngs (13th, 24:22) through John Trasorras (20th, 25:38) formed a tight cluster, with just 76 seconds separating seven finishers — proof that the real racing extended well beyond the front of a 138-man field.