Boilermaker 5K M30-34: Burke Takes the Win in 21:30

• Wadeanthony Burke wins M30-34 in 21:30 (6:55/mi), finishing 20 seconds clear of runner-up Nick Mecca.
• Nick Mecca (2nd, 21:50) and Michael Hajec (3rd, 22:02) were separated by just 12 seconds — the tightest battle on the podium.
• The top 5 were all under 23:06, with a 1:35 gap separating 5th from 1st.
• 158 men completed the M30-34 race on a humid July morning in Utica.

Wadeanthony Burke of Sherrill, NY, owned this race from the finish line back. His 21:30 at 6:55/mi was the benchmark in M30-34, and the 20-second margin over Nick Mecca of Rome, NY (21:50, 7:02/mi) was comfortable enough to signal Burke was running his own race. In 87% humidity, that kind of controlled performance stands out.

Behind Burke, the real drama was between Mecca and Whitesboro's Michael Hajec. Mecca's 7:02/mi pace was faster than Hajec's 7:06/mi, but Hajec closed to within 12 seconds at the line — a genuine catch-up story that made 3rd place anything but a formality. Whether Hajec was reeling Mecca in or simply ran a more even effort, the gap at 22:02 made for a compelling podium.

Fourth and fifth went to Larry Fredsell of Cicero (22:53, 7:22/mi) and Paul Brockett of Clinton (23:05, 7:26/mi), with just 12 seconds separating them as well. Jon Marchione of Baltimore rounded out the top six in 23:21, followed by Ricky Rechtorovic (23:36) and Christopher Misiaczek (23:51) — a tightly bunched group of chasers who kept the middle of the field honest. The 20th-place finisher, Vincent Reina, crossed in 25:31, a reminder of how much racing was happening across all 158 finishers in the M30-34 field.