Boilermaker 5K M70-74: Lenio Leads Rome to the Top

• Ted Lenio wins in 25:19 (8:09/mi), more than 47 seconds clear of the field — the sharpest margin at the front of a 50-man M70-74 field.
• Gary Lashure and Patrick Clark staged the race's tightest battle, separated by just 5 seconds at 26:06 and 26:11 respectively for 2nd and 3rd.
• A 47-second gap splits the podium from 4th place — Bryce Button's 28:09 marks a clear step down from the top three.
• 50 finishers completed the M70-74 race on a humid Utica morning — 75°F with 90% humidity made every 8-minute mile feel earned.

Ted Lenio, 74 years old and representing Rome, NY, was never seriously threatened. His 25:19 — an 8:09/mi clip — put nearly a full minute of air between himself and the rest of the field before anyone could mount a challenge. At an age where most runners are content to finish, Lenio was racing. That margin of 47 seconds over 2nd place tells the story plainly: this was a dominant wire-to-wire performance in suffocating humidity.

Behind him, Gary Lashure (26:06) and Patrick Clark (26:11) ran the kind of race that keeps spectators leaning forward. Five seconds over 3.1 miles is as close as it gets without a photo finish, and both men — aged 71 — pushed each other to sub-8:30 pace in the heat. Lashure held on for 2nd; Clark settled for 3rd, just a breath behind.

Bryce Button (4th, 28:09) and Stephen Gadziola (5th, 28:54) filled out the top five, with Gadziola running at 9:18/mi pace to finish under 29 minutes. George Oswald (6th, 29:50) and Stan Dickson (7th, 29:56) were separated by just six seconds — another micro-battle within the field. Anthony Brigano (8th, 30:59), Victor Powers (9th, 31:20), and Tom Bick (10th, 32:25) rounded out the top ten, each grinding through the thick morning air at their own hard-earned pace.