Results
Hunter Brignall, Mary Giza, Scott Weeks, and Trisha Byler raced to championship titles Saturday at the 2026 USATF Niagara 1 Mile Championships, held August 15 in Buffalo as part of the Queen City Mile. Brignall and Giza captured the Open titles, while Weeks and Byler topped the age-graded Masters competitions.
The championships marked the fifth race of the 2026 USATF Niagara Runner of the Year Series and Niagara LDR Club Grand Prix, bringing many of the association's top road racers together for a fast night of racing over the one-mile distance.
Hunter Brignall (Bergen Elite) captured the Open Men's title in 4:15, edging teammate Patrick Klinger, who crossed the line just one second back in 4:16.
Nicholas Guarino completed a Bergen Elite sweep of the championship podium, finishing third in 4:18.
Mary Giza (Checkers AC) was the class of the Open Women's field, breaking the five-minute barrier with a winning time of 4:59.
Trisha Byler (Roadkill Racing) was close behind, finishing second in 5:02, while teammate Elizabeth Bender secured third in 5:11.
The Masters championships were determined using age-graded scoring, with Scott Weeks (Genesee Valley Harriers) turning in the top men's performance. The 54-year-old ran 4:57 and earned an age grade of 91.90.
Mark Assini (Genesee Valley Harriers), 67, finished second with a 90.31 age grade after running 5:39. Fellow 67-year-old Steven Ald (Checkers AC) was third with an 89.78 age grade and a time of 5:41.
After finishing second overall among the Open women, Trisha Byler (Roadkill Racing) earned the Masters Women's championship with an age grade of 86.94. The 42-year-old's 5:02 performance topped the age-graded standings.
Jenny Keenan (Checkers AC), 43, finished second with an 83.63 age grade after running 5:16, while Amy McMahon (Checkers AC), 58, placed third. McMahon, 58, ran 6:14 to earn an age graded score of 82.41.
Bergen Elite backed up its sweep of the individual men's podium by capturing the Open Men's team championship. Hunter Brignall, Patrick Klinger, Nicholas Guarino, Henry Smith, and Marty Butler combined for a winning time of 22:01. Checkers AC finished second in 23:52, with Roadkill Racing third in 24:38.
The Open Women's team competition was much closer, as Roadkill Racing edged Checkers AC by just 17 seconds. Trisha Byler, Elizabeth Bender, Lindsay Piraino, Laura Galeazzo, and Katie Cobos combined for a winning time of 26:19. Checkers AC finished second in 26:36.
The Masters Men's team championship produced the closest team battle of the day, with Genesee Valley Harriers edging Checkers AC by just 0.60 points. Scott Weeks, Mark Assini, Andy Wooding, Josh Williams, and Dale Flanders combined for an age-graded score of 435.63 to secure the title. Checkers AC finished just behind with 435.03 points.
Checkers AC claimed the Masters Women's team crown with 362.21 points. Amy McMahon, Brenda White, Wendy Guyker, Barbara Sauer, and Daniela Hager-Carbonara comprised the five scoring members of the championship team.
With five races now complete, the Niagara Runner of the Year Series and LDR Club Grand Prix continue to provide athletes and clubs throughout the association opportunities to compete for season-long individual and team honors. The next race in the series is the USATF Niagara 5 km Championships on September 6 in Geneseo.