LOWELL >> Flannan Hehir returned to the streets of Lowell, Chelmsford and Tyngsboro on Sunday morning with a vengeance.

After placing third at the 2019 Baystate Marathon in his first-ever 26.2-mile jaunt around the Mill City, the Boston resident had ground to make up in the 36th edition of the event that kicked off in downtown Lowell and finished in front of the Tsongas Center.

Hehir shattered his previous time of 2:37:00 by nearly 10 minutes, clocking a 2:27:39 to claim the men’s crown in a field of 1,104 competitors.

Hosted by the Greater Lowell Road Runners, clear skies and sunny conditions treated runners to smooth sailing throughout the course that makes its way through Chelmsford and Tyngsboro before heading back to Lowell.

“It felt incredible,” said Hehir, 28. “It’s something I trained all fall for and all summer. To finally have the race come is exciting, you can show up and execute. It was super fun.”

Sunday marked Hehir’s fourth marathon, edging Xiao Chen of Brookline (2:32:54) as the clear-cut victor.

“To come back and upgrade from third to first is pretty cool,” he said. “I’ll definitely try to come back.”

Hehir ran the Boston Marathon in 2021 and is an active member of the Tracksmith Running Club in Boston. He previously ran club track at Notre Dame.

Due to the consistently flat nature that this course is known for, Hehir was able to focus on his pace of 5:38 throughout the brisk fall morning.

“I tried to find a good pace and stay steady,” said Hehir. “When you (change) pace, it can feel like more of a shock to the system. Just tried to hold more or less the same pace. When you have great conditions and a mostly flat course, that’s really easy to do.”

With his first marathon crown under his belt, Hehir is planning to shift his attention to the half marathon.

“I’d like to go under 1:10 in the half marathon, so that’s the next big goal. Otherwise, I’m just enjoying it. You only have so long where your legs can hold up,” he said.

McGinley cruises

Caitlin McGinley, a Pennsylvania native and Boston resident, owned the female division with a time of 2:41:26 to fly past second-place finisher Erin Zimmer (2:48:41).

Like Hehir, Baystate marked McGinley’s first marathon, placing fifth in the female bracket with a time of 2:55:17.

Her time broadcasted on the video board above the finish line on Arcand Drive read over 14 minutes faster than her previous mark.

“It was an exhausting end of the race, so it feels really great to finish and win,” said McGinley, 27.

Originally a sprinter, McGinley switched gears to marathon running following her running career was cut short at West Chester University after her sophomore season due to a stress fracture. With excess time during the COVID pandemic, leisurely jogs around the Charles River eventually evolved into marathons.

“I’m definitely a marathoner,” she confirmed. “I like the grit that goes into it and the training. The duration stinks sometimes but it’s definitely more fulfilling after.”

It’s that desire for fulfillment that pushed her to the finish line on Sunday.

“I trusted that I could get through it,” said McGinley. “I knew that I put in the training, and it’s supposed to hurt—and it did. I felt pain all through training, so it’s what it’s all about.”

Rocha breaks record

There’s a new name in the Baystate female half marathon record books. Orla Rocha of Melrose edged Kristen Beaney’s time of 1:13:47 with a 1:13:40 in her first-ever half marathon. Beaney’s mark had stood since 1999.

Not too shabby for her first rodeo.

“I didn’t even know the record,” she said after crossing the finish line. “This is my first half, so I didn’t even know what I was going to run.”

Rocha ran collegiately at Providence College before graduating in 2022 and is a native of Waterford, Ireland.

Not only did she beat the course record in her first time hitting the course in Lowell, she inked her first autograph to a young fan by the finish line.

“I was told to take it easy for the first few miles because I tend to go out too hard, and I did that this time. So I think that worked,” said Rocha, 24.

Rocha was one of many runners who cherished the ideal conditions on Sunday.

“It’s perfect,” she said. “It was cool at the beginning and now it’s a little warmer. It was perfect.”

Harris smashes title

Phil Harris was quite lonely as he streaked across the finish line outside the Tsongas Center. Harris claimed the men’s half marathon title with a 1:06:28 in the field of 1,055 entries, a full 17 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Cameron Leonard (1:06:45).

But it was just a tune-up for the Concord, Mass. native. Harris is prepping for the Philadelphia Marathon next month, which will be his fifth 26.2-mile trek.

“I really felt like everything came into place,” said Harris, 29. “I actually had a cold earlier this week and I was hoping that the congestion would come down. Luckily, it came down enough for me to feel close to a hundred percent.”

Despite taking a wrong turn ahead of the homestretch, Harris still achieved his goal of cracking the 67-minute mark.

“Realistically, I knew I was in shape for low sixty-seven. The stretch goal was breaking sixty-seven, and I got it despite the last turn going in the wrong direction,” Harris said, laughing.

Harris was a 2017 graduate of Merrimack College, where he ran cross country and track all three seasons for four years as a distance runner. The flat nature of Lowell’s course was the perfect benchmark to see where the high-flying Harris was in his marathon training.

“It’s a confidence booster just to get that fast time in, and from what I heard, Philly is also pretty flat,” he said. “This is the flattest half marathon I’ve ever done, so I’m glad this shows what I’m capable of.”