Brignall, Orie, Fuentes, Byler Claim Niagara 1 Mile Titles in Buffalo; Hyer Sets American Record

Results

The streets of downtown Buffalo came alive on Saturday (16-August) as the Queen City Mile hosted the USATF Niagara 1 Mile Road Championships, drawing top runners and teams from across the region.

Open Men

In a fast men’s race, Hunter Brignall (Bergen Elite) captured the championship title in 4:17, edging out Thomas Appenheimer (4:19) and Patrick Klinger (Bergen Elite), who finished third in 4:20.

Open Women

The women’s race was equally competitive, with Gabrielle Orie racing to the win in 5:03. Trisha Byler (Roadkill Racing) secured the runner-up spot in 5:13, followed closely by Maura Tyrrell (Checkers AC) in 5:14.

Masters Men

The men’s masters division, scored on age-graded performance, saw a dominant showing by Checkers AC. Jose Fuentes (61) topped the field with a 97.27% age grade, running 4:58. Teammates John McMahon (59) and Stuart Galloway (64) rounded out the podium with age grades of 93.08% and 88.63%, respectively.

Masters Women

On the women’s masters side, Trisha Byler (Roadkill Racing) doubled back from her open division silver to win with an 83.37% age grade. She was joined on the podium by Jenny Keenan (Checkers AC) at 83.35% and Amy McMahon (Checkers AC) at 83.22%.

Team Championships

The event also featured spirited team competition, with titles decided in all four categories:

Open Men – Bergen Elite (21:56; total time)
Open Women – Checkers AC (27:30; total time)
Masters Men – Checkers AC (451.52; total age-graded points)
Masters Women – Checkers AC (381.93; total age-graded points)

Record-Setting Performance

Adding to the day’s highlights, Edna Hyer established a new U.S. Masters women’s 90–94 American record, clocking 15:18. Her performance set a new benchmark for excellence in the age division and was met with resounding cheers from the Buffalo crowd.