Boilermaker 5K M60-64: Mozo Takes the Win in a Sharp 23:04

• Robert Mozo (Clay, NY) wins the M60-64 race in 23:04 — a 7:25/mi clip that left the field in his wake.
• David Morehouse pushes him hard — the Naples, FL runner finishes 2nd in 23:18, just 14 seconds back at 7:30/mi pace.
• Michael Green and Mike Palmer stage a tight battle for 3rd — separated by only 4 seconds (25:25 vs. 25:29) more than two minutes behind the leaders.
• 89 finishers completed the M60-64 race on a humid Utica morning — 87% humidity made every second earned.

Robert Mozo ran the M60-64 field off its feet. The 63-year-old from Clay, NY crossed in 23:04 at 7:25/mi — a pace that demanded real commitment on a sticky July morning in Utica. David Morehouse of Naples, FL gave chase and made it competitive, finishing 2nd in 23:18 at 7:30/mi, but those 14 seconds represented a clear and decisive gap. The top two were in a race of their own, running nearly two full minutes ahead of everyone else in the 89-man field.

The battle for the podium's final step was the afternoon's tightest subplot. Michael Green (Jermyn, PA) and Mike Palmer (Whitesboro, NY) — both 63-year-olds — traded blows through the course and finished in 25:25 and 25:29 respectively, just four seconds apart. Green held on for 3rd; Palmer settled for 4th. Joseph Nimey rounded out the top five in 26:05, followed closely by hometown runner Thomas Monaghan of Utica, who finished 6th in 26:27.

Further back, the field stayed competitive through the mid-pack. Geoff Hazard (7th, 27:13) and Steve Mandia (8th, 27:21) were separated by eight seconds, with Mark Gee and Scott Palczynski rounding out the top ten in 27:32 and 27:36. Donald Lynskey and Wade Abraham — both from New Hartford, NY — finished 11th and 12th in 28:20 and 28:21, a one-second margin closing out a field full of hard-fought finishes across 89 competitors.