Boyce and Keenan Lead Masters Age-Graded Standings
Results Tim Chichester and Lindsay Piraino raced to the open men's and women's titles, respectively, while EJ Boyce and Jenny Keenan turned in the best masters performances at the 2026 USATF Niagara 25 km Trail Running Championships on Sunday (18-Oct.) in Wellsville.
Tim Chichester, 38, of Genesee Valley Harriers captured the men's title, covering the 25 km distance in 1:50:41. Chichester finished 61 seconds ahead of runner-up Josh Zubler, 37, of Bergen Elite, who clocked 1:51:42. Bergen Elite's Patrick Klinger, 23, rounded out the podium with a time of 2:00:19. Teammate EJ Boyce, 45, finished fourth overall in 2:08:42, followed by Brian Fraser, 56, of Checkers AC in fifth (2:23:29).
Lindsay Piraino, 30, of Roadkill Racing earned the women's championship with a winning time of 2:00:57. Checkers AC teammates Jenny Keenan, 43, and Maura Tyrrell, 40, completed the women's podium. Keenan finished second in 2:03:33, just 2 minutes and 36 seconds behind Piraino, while Tyrrell claimed third in 2:10:55.
Checkers AC also secured fourth place with Mary LeBrun Schultz, 44, finishing in 2:33:09. Heather Moldosky, 31, of Bergen Elite rounded out the top five in 2:52:47.
The masters championships recognized athletes ages 40 and older based on age-graded performances, allowing competitors across different age groups to compete for overall masters honors.
EJ Boyce of Bergen Elite claimed the men's masters age-graded title with a score of 57.36%. Boyce's fourth-place overall finish in 2:08:42 also made him the fastest masters man in the championship.
Brian Fraser of Checkers AC finished second in the age-graded standings with 56.75%, followed by Bergen Elite's Sean Harris, 50, in third (52.94%). Harris completed the course in 2:25:38.
In the women's masters competition, Checkers AC swept the top three positions. Jenny Keenan led the way with an age-graded score of 64.41%, the highest among all masters competitors, men or women.
Maura Tyrrell finished second with 60.79%, while Mary LeBrun Schultz placed third with 52.38%.
Bergen Elite claimed the men's team championship with a combined time of 10:51:03.
The five-member championship squad featured Josh Zubler (1:51:42), Patrick Klinger (2:00:19), EJ Boyce (2:08:42), Scotty Miner (2:24:43), and Sean Harris (2:25:38).
Bergen Elite's depth was particularly evident in the individual standings, with four of its five scoring athletes finishing among the top seven overall.
The championships showcased strong performances from Niagara Association clubs, with Genesee Valley Harriers, Roadkill Racing, Bergen Elite, and Checkers AC all represented among the individual and team champions.