The Kelly LaBare 5K has always been about more than a finishing time. On Sunday, August 9, runners returned to Otsiningo Park during Binghamton's Spiedie Fest & Balloon Rally weekend for the 29th running of the Kelly LaBare 5K.

The event was created in 1997 following the death of Kelly LaBare at age 25 from a cardiac arrhythmia. Kelly was an accomplished runner who had qualified for the Boston Marathon. Nearly three decades later, runners continue to gather each summer to race in her memory.

The 2026 results also tell another story: this is a race where you can actually watch a running community grow up. Athletes who competed near the front a decade ago are still competing near the front today, while younger runners are taking enormous chunks off their previous times.

Daniel Schaffer: Ten Years Later — and Three Seconds Faster

Daniel Schaffer of Endicott, racing for the Confluence Running Elite Team, captured the overall victory in 15:22, averaging approximately 4:57 per mile.

Schaffer finished 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Andrew Cloke and 39 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Nick Hall.

But Schaffer's connection to the Kelly LaBare 5K goes considerably deeper than his 2026 victory.

There is something particularly fitting about a runner whose introduction to the 5K came at Kelly LaBare eventually returning as a Confluence Running Elite athlete and winning it again.

Schaffer's 15:22 also ranks among the stronger winning performances in the event's recent history. The benchmark remains Christian Thompson's outstanding 14:41 performance in 2013.

A Decade Apart — and Four Familiar Names Still Near the Front

One of the most interesting discoveries in the historical results is how many of the area's top runners have maintained a remarkably high level of performance.

Four athletes who finished among the top 14 at the Kelly LaBare 5K in 2016 were once again among the top 14 in 2026.

Schaffer was first then and first now. Steve Esposito moved from ninth overall in 2016 to sixth in 2026. John Salva did something perhaps even more unusual: he ran 19 seconds faster at age 34 than he did at age 24.

And Jordan Varano? 14th overall in 2016. Fourteenth overall again in 2026.

Steve Esposito: 19 Years of Kelly LaBare

And then there is Steve Esposito.

The 2026 race marked Esposito's 19th year running the Kelly LaBare 5K. Very few runners have a relationship with a single event that stretches across that much of their running life — particularly while remaining this competitive.

There are a couple of numbers worth looking at twice.

Esposito ran 16:36 in 2024 and exactly 16:36 again in 2026. His 2026 performance is only 23 seconds behind the 16:13 he recorded nine years earlier in 2017.

Go farther back and the consistency becomes even more impressive. Esposito ran 17:24 in 2013. Thirteen years later, at age 36, he ran 48 seconds faster.

His relationship with the race has extended beyond competing, too. In 2018, Esposito joined Confluence Running's Kelly LaBare livestream as a race commentator — giving him the unusual perspective of experiencing the event both as a longtime competitor and as one of the voices telling its story.

Andrew Cloke Just Keeps Getting Faster

One of the strongest multi-year progression stories belongs to Andrew Cloke.

Cloke broke 16 minutes this year at age 41, finishing second overall in 15:54 and winning the men's 40–49 division.

Third-place finisher Nick Hall also ran faster than a year ago. Hall finished second in 2025 in 16:12, then improved to 16:01 in 2026. His finishing place moved from second to third, but his actual performance improved by 11 seconds.

Donnell Davis Drops Two Full Minutes

The biggest one-year breakthrough among the leaders belonged to Donnell Davis.

Davis went from the middle of the sub-19 pack to the front group of one of the area's fastest road races. In 2026 he finished just 23 seconds behind Nick Hall and four seconds ahead of John Salva.

That's the kind of leap that makes Davis one of the most interesting runners to watch when Kelly LaBare returns for its 30th running.

Elizabeth Predmore Leads the Women's Race

On the women's side, Elizabeth Predmore of Binghamton took the 2026 victory in 18:16, finishing 15th overall and averaging approximately 5:53 per mile.

Predmore won decisively, with Shelby Fisher second in 19:42 and Canadian standout Paula Wiltse third in 19:44. Wiltse, at age 59, also won the women's 50–59 division.

Predmore's 18:16 was 1 minute, 45 seconds faster than the 2024 women's winning time.

Shelby Fisher Has Quietly Dropped More Than a Minute

Predmore won the women's race, but Shelby Fisher has built one of the strongest multi-year progression stories in the field.

That's a 61-second improvement in two years and Fisher's first sub-20 Kelly LaBare performance.

The progression has translated directly into place, too, as Fisher climbed to second woman overall in 2026.

Watch the Two Noahs

Some of the most exciting progression isn't happening at the very front of the race — at least not yet.

Noah Perry and Noah Cloke are two names worth checking again when the Kelly LaBare 5K celebrates its 30th running in 2027.

From 9 Years Old to 82 Years Old

The other end of the results tells an equally important story about what the Kelly LaBare 5K has become.

Nine-year-old Charles Ramsden ran 21:42, winning the boys' 13-and-under division and placing 43rd overall.

At the other end of the age spectrum, 82-year-old Timothy Blauvelt finished in 26:16.

242 Finishers — and Participation Remains Strong

The 2026 race recorded 242 finishers — 125 men and 117 women — making the field nearly evenly divided.

Although 2026 was down from last year's especially large field, participation was still more than 34% higher than it was just two years ago.

More Than a Results Sheet

There are races where the results are largely forgotten once the awards are handed out.

The Kelly LaBare 5K isn't one of them.

When you put the years beside one another, you can actually watch a running community grow up.

Daniel Schaffer won at 18 and returned ten years later to run faster.

John Salva is faster at 34 than he was at 24.

Steve Esposito has spent 19 years returning to the race and remains a top-six finisher.

Andrew Cloke broke 16 minutes at 41.

Donnell Davis took two full minutes off his time in one year.

Shelby Fisher has chopped more than a minute from hers.

And young runners like Noah Perry and Noah Cloke are beginning to write the next chapter.