M25-29: Brandon Moran Runs Away With It in Utica's Heat

• Brandon Moran, 16:06 (5:11/mi) — wins M25-29 by 3 minutes and 38 seconds over Ben Zinger.
• Zinger (19:44) and Nimey (19:55) — 2nd and 3rd separated by just 11 seconds after 3.1 miles.
• Mentzel and Millick — 4th (20:19) and 5th (20:26) split by only 7 seconds, rounding out a tight battle for the minor places.
• 148 finishers completed M25-29 on a humid July morning in Utica.

Brandon Moran made this race look like a different event entirely. The 27-year-old from Somerville, MA crossed in 16:06 — a 5:11/mi clip — while the rest of the M25-29 field was still well into its second mile. His 3:38 winning margin over runner-up Ben Zinger wasn't a close race; it was a statement, delivered in 75°F heat with 90% humidity that had everyone else working hard just to hold form.

Behind Moran, the real racing happened. Zinger, 25, from Liverpool, NY, held 2nd in 19:44, but Greyden Nimey of New Hartford, NY was right on his heels — 19:55 at the line, just 11 seconds back after 3.1 miles. That's a genuine chase, with Nimey running a 6:25/mi pace to Zinger's 6:21/mi; close enough at the finish, but Zinger had the edge where it counted. Fourth and fifth played out similarly: Jordan Mentzel (Saratoga Springs, 20:19, 6:32/mi) and Riley Millick (Corning, 20:26, 6:35/mi) were separated by only 7 seconds — two runners who clearly pushed each other through the back half of the course.

The field thinned out from there, with Ryan Agedal (6th, 21:34) and Kyle Francis (7th, 21:53) holding the next tier, followed by Logan Jakubowicz and Francisco Rodriguez Tineo — 8th and 9th in 22:12 and 22:17 respectively — separated by just five seconds. Will Bryant rounded out the top 10 in 23:36, and 128 more M25-29 runners navigated the heat to the finish line behind him. On a morning like this, every one of those finishes earned.