Boilermaker 5K M75-79: Greg Karl Runs Away With It

• Greg Karl (Victor, NY) wins in 27:06 at an 8:43/mi clip — nearly 50 seconds clear of runner-up Bert Dominguez.
• Bert Dominguez (Gaithersburg, MD) finishes 2nd in 27:55, the only other finisher under 30 minutes.
• A tight three-way battle for 4th and 5th: W Anthony Mandour (4th, 33:29) and Francis Kattato (5th, 33:35) separated by just six seconds after 3.1 miles.
• Kimo Bailey, making the trip from Kihei, HI, rounds out the 19-man field in 52:02.

Under 84°F heat in Utica, Greg Karl put on a masterclass at 76 years old. His 27:06 finish at 8:43/mi wasn't just a win — it was a statement, opening up a gap of 49 seconds on Bert Dominguez and leaving the rest of the field more than five minutes behind. Dominguez, also 76 and traveling from Gaithersburg, MD, was the only other runner to crack 28 minutes, finishing in 27:55 at 8:59/mi. These two ran in a different gear from everyone else on the day.

Third place went to John Boyle (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ) in 32:41 — a full 4:46 back from Dominguez but comfortably clear of the scrap behind him. That scrap was genuinely tight: Mandour (Naples, FL) came home 4th in 33:29, with Kattato (Cold Brook, NY) just six seconds later in 33:35 at 10:49/mi. Six seconds over 5K in the July heat is as close as it gets.

The back half of the field told its own story of grit. John Kieffer, the eldest of the top seven at 79, finished 7th in 35:42 representing the home crowd in Utica. Daniel Jadlowski, also 79 and from Whitesboro, pushed through to 13th in 45:31. And Kimo Bailey — who traveled the farthest of anyone in this field, all the way from Kihei, Hawaii — crossed the line last in 52:02, completing all 3.1 miles on a warm Central New York morning. Nineteen men, ranging from 75 to 79, showed up and got it done.