Boilermaker 5K F65-69: Maxey Takes the Win in Utica Heat

• Merle Maxey, 68, wins in 29:44 (9:34/mi), finishing 32 seconds clear of runner-up Ann Marie Lewicki.
• Lewicki, 67, holds 2nd at 30:16 (9:45/mi), with Paula Balch, 66, rounding out the podium in 31:12 (10:03/mi).
• Tight battle at 6th–7th: Pamela Fess and Barbara Getty both crossed in 34:02, with Fess edging Getty by the narrowest of margins for 6th.
• 48 women aged 65–69 finished the race in 75°F heat and 90% humidity — a demanding morning in Utica.

Merle Maxey of Verona Beach owned this race from the front, crossing in 29:44 at a 9:34/mi clip — a pace that put real daylight between her and the rest of the F65-69 field. Ann Marie Lewicki of Hartwick gave chase and made it a genuine contest, finishing in 30:16, but Maxey's 32-second cushion was well-earned in conditions that made every mile feel longer. Paula Balch of Clinton completed the podium in 31:12, running 10:03/mi to finish nearly a minute back of Lewicki but clear of the chasing pack.

The race for fourth through sixth had its own drama. Suzie Fraser of Whitesboro — the oldest among the top finishers at 69 — came home 4th in 32:24, while Linda Zee of Holland Patent ran 33:53 for 5th. Then Pamela Fess and Barbara Getty, both from the Utica area, crossed in the same displayed time of 34:02, with Fess claiming 6th by the thinnest of margins the clock could measure.

Further back, Christine Sowalskie and Janice Yeaton staged a near-identical finish of their own — 35:12 and 35:13 separated them in 12th and 13th, just one second apart after 3.1 miles in the heat. With 48 finishers total, this was a deep and competitive field, and everyone who finished on a muggy July morning in Utica earned it.