Summer heat hasn’t slowed down Bedford distance runners, as local athletes have excelled in races in recent weeks.

At the sixth annual Bill Kelley Memorial Road Race, in Manchester on July 23, 18- year-old Scott Jones nearly found himself atop the list of 172 participants in the 5-kilometer portion of the race.

Jones placed second with a time of 18 minutes 5 seconds, just off the pace of Deerfield’s Coby Jacobs, who earned first with a time of 17:44.

Dan Dipiro grabbed a fifth-place finish thanks to his time of 18:55, while Kelsey Hunt was the third-fastest Bedford resident and fastest female in town, running the course in 20:03.

Amy Morin’s time of 22:06 was good for 15th overall, while 14-year-old Erica Stieper came in 24th after she ran the 3.1 miles in 23:11.

During the Bill Kelley 10k event, locals Stewart Richmond and Christopher Jones cracked the top 10.

Richmond, 42, was the top finisher among Bedford residents on the lengthier course, finishing seventh with a time 37:46, while Jones’ 38:45 effort earned him ninth among 110 competitors.

The annual Cigna/Elliot Corporate 5k brings nearly 5,000 runners from across the northeast to Manchester, but plenty of familiar Bedford athletes also took to the street for the event on Thursday, Aug. 13.

Jason Porter was the highest finishing resident thanks to his 16:25 result, good for 38th in the highly competitive field.

Jones followed up his strong finish at the Kelley race with a 76th-place time of 17:38, trimming off 27 seconds from his previous time.

Close behind Jones was Dennis Tranchemontagne, who finished in 17:39 to place 78th.

Dipiro also competed in the Cigna race and had the 115th-best time of 18:19.