M75-79 at Barks & Brews 5K: Ed Walsh Dominates a Hard-Earned Field

• Ed Walsh, 76, wins in 27:14 — an 8:46/mi average that put more than five minutes of clear air between him and the rest of the M75-79 field.
• Closest battle of the day: Steve Schnaidt (32:25) and Charles Curran (32:40) were separated by just 15 seconds at the finish — the tightest gap in the group.
• Robert Rinker and Dennis Scott finished 5th and 6th in 45:28 and 45:38 respectively — only 10 seconds apart after 3.1 miles.
• Seven finishers completed the M75-79 race on a warm Sacramento morning, with ages ranging from 75 to 78.

Ed Walsh made this one look almost easy. The 76-year-old from Placerville crossed in 27:14, clicking off 8:46 miles on a clear, 73°F morning — a pace that would be respectable for runners half his age. He was already pulling away from the field by the 1-mile mark, moving up through the men's field from 155th to 146th in that final stretch, and his finish time stood more than five minutes clear of anyone else in the M75-79 group. There was no drama at the front; Walsh simply ran his own race and won it decisively.

Behind him, Steve Schnaidt and Charles Curran — both Sacramento locals — staged the most competitive duel of the age group. Schnaidt, 77, finished in 32:25 at a 10:26/mi clip, with Curran, 75, just 15 seconds back at 32:40. Curran actually gave back a little ground in the closing mile (his gender rank slipped from 213th to 220th), while Schnaidt continued to move forward, suggesting the gap could have been even tighter with a different final kick. Jose Aguirre of Davis rounded out the top four in 36:18.

At the back of the field, Robert Rinker and Dennis Scott ran nearly in lockstep — 45:28 and 45:38, separated by just 10 seconds across 3.1 miles of racing. Glenn Bailey of Roseville closed things out in 59:14, completing what was a full and hard-fought M75-79 field. Seven men in their mid-to-late seventies finishing a 5K on a warm Memorial Day weekend — that's the real story here.