Boilermaker 5K F55-59: Dehaan Dominates in the Utica Heat

• Sue Dehaan wins in 23:37 (7:36/mi) — more than two minutes clear of a 129-woman field on a humid July morning.
• Mary Ellen Burstein takes 2nd in 25:50, with Kara Harrod (3rd, 26:32) and Elizabeth Peterson (4th, 26:37) separated by just five seconds behind her.
• Joni Maxick-Jason rounds out the top five in 26:53, completing a tight 3rd-through-5th cluster that spans only 21 seconds.
• Christine Haviland finishes 6th in 27:52 — nearly a minute back from 5th, but still clear of a competitive mid-pack that stretches from Kimberly Smith (7th, 28:47) through Renee O'Neill (10th, 29:11).

With 90% humidity pressing down on Utica and temperatures already at 75°F, the F55-59 race was a test of composure as much as fitness — and Sue Dehaan passed it with authority. The 58-year-old from Montreal crossed in 23:37 at a 7:36/mi clip, a margin of 2:13 over second place that made her victory one of the most decisive of the morning. In a field of 129 finishers, that kind of separation is a statement.

Behind Dehaan, the real drama was in the chase pack. Burstein (25:50, 8:19/mi) held second comfortably, but Harrod and Peterson ran nearly stride for stride — 26:32 and 26:37, just five seconds and roughly six strides apart after 3.1 miles of racing. Maxick-Jason (26:53, 8:39/mi) was close enough to keep the pressure on but couldn't quite bridge the gap to the pair ahead of her.

The mid-pack told its own story of tight racing. Smith (7th, 28:47), Cooke (8th, 28:53), and Micallef (9th, 28:55) were separated by a mere eight seconds, with O'Neill (10th, 29:11) and Waters (11th, 29:27) not far behind. From there, the field spread into the 29- and 30-minute range, with Mattia, Collea, Rosato, Harter, Drake-Deese, Davis, Powers, Lupini, and Nelson all finishing between 29:34 and 30:57 — a deep, competitive back-of-top-20 that speaks to the strength of this field on a genuinely tough weather day.