M70-99: Lionel St Pierre Owns the Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Lionel St Pierre, 73, of Orangevale, CA, completed the 25-mile course in 7:23:59 — a 17:46/mi average over demanding Auburn terrain.
• Closing strong: St Pierre posted the 16th-fastest split on the Last Gasp→Finish segment among the men, showing he had something left when it counted.
• Steady climb through the men's field: He moved from 27th to 25th among men across the race's checkpoints, picking off competitors late.

Lionel St Pierre came to Auburn and did what very few 73-year-olds anywhere attempt: he toed the line at a 25-mile trail race and crossed the finish. In the M70-99 age group, he was the only one to do it on this day, making him both first and last — and every bit the champion.

What makes the result more than a completion story is how St Pierre finished it. On the final Last Gasp→Finish segment — the stretch that tends to sort out who prepared well from who merely survived — he turned in the 16th-fastest split among the men. With a field that included runners decades younger, that's a number worth pausing on.

The 7:23:59 across 25 miles in clear but warming conditions near Auburn reflects a disciplined, patient effort. St Pierre also moved steadily through the men's standings over the course of the race, advancing from 27th to 25th among all male finishers. On a day when the leaderboard was his alone, he still raced the clock and the field around him — and finished on his own terms.