Boilermaker 5K F70-74: Femia Leads a Strong New Hartford Charge

• Patricia Femia, 73, wins in 31:09 — a 10:02/mi average that put her 1:24 clear of the field in a 20-woman race.
• Lenore Valuckas (32:33) and Debra Kelley (33:31) rounded out the podium, separated by under a minute.
• Tight mid-pack battle: Beth Montague (39:09) and Kathleen Aiello (39:10) finished just one second apart for 10th and 11th.
• Full house: all 20 finishers crossed the line on a muggy 75°F morning with 90% humidity — no small feat for this field.

Patricia Femia of New Hartford claimed the F70-74 title in 31:09, holding a steady 10:02/mi through the Utica heat and humidity to finish a comfortable 1:24 ahead of anyone else in the field. At 73, she was among the older competitors in this group and still set the pace no one could answer.

Behind her, Lenore Valuckas (72, Sauquoit) crossed in 32:33 at 10:29/mi to take second, with Debra Kelley (72, Albany) claiming third in 33:31. The gap from second to third was 58 seconds — meaningful, but the real story was how the podium separated itself from the chase pack: Ellen Pierno finished fourth in 34:07, already more than half a minute back of Kelley. Susan Schafer (35:15) and Arlyn Doherty (35:29) — the latter making the trip from Villa Rica, Georgia — ran within 14 seconds of each other for fifth and sixth, with Cynthia Morris (35:44) and Mary Schmutz (36:01) close behind to complete a tightly bunched middle group.

The race's closest moment came deep in the results: Beth Montague and Kathleen Aiello, both of Syracuse, finished 10th and 11th in 39:09 and 39:10 respectively — one second the difference between them after 3.1 miles in the humidity. Judy Crowley (74, Cicero) wasn't far behind in 12th at 39:45. Terry Decola closed out the field in 20th with a 50:45 finish — getting it done on a morning that demanded something from everyone who toed the line.