Gene Dykes Dominates M75-79 at the 128th Boston Marathon

• Gene Dykes (PA) wins M75-79 in 3:28:43 — a 7:58/mi average across 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Copley Square.
• 26-minute gap to 2nd: Martin Fluckiger finished 2nd in 3:54:22 (8:56/mi), the widest margin at the top of the M75-79 field.
• Tight battle for 3rd–4th: Ercole Guidi (ON) claimed 3rd in 4:13:52, just 20 seconds ahead of Chris Sim (CA) in 4:14:12.
• 43 finishers completed the M75-79 race, with the top 20 all breaking 5:00.

Gene Dykes didn't just win the M75-79 age group — he ran away from it. His 7:58/mi average on a point-to-point course that features the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill is a statement performance, and his finishing margin of over 25 minutes over 2nd-place Martin Fluckiger made this one of the most decisive wins in the field. What's more, Dykes was moving — his gender place tracking shows a sustained push through the back half of the race, climbing from around 8,045th among men at the early checkpoint all the way to 6,893rd by the finish, meaning he was reeling in runners across the broader field as the miles mounted.

Fluckiger held a steady ship in 2nd, finishing in 3:54:22 at 8:56/mi. His gender-place trajectory was similarly progressive — moving from outside 9,800 early to 9,647 near the finish — though he faded very slightly in the final stretch, slipping from 9,647 to 9,674. Third place was a genuine contest: Ercole Guidi (ON) and Chris Sim (CA) ran nearly identical final times, with Guidi's 4:13:52 edging Sim's 4:14:12 by just 20 seconds after 26.2 miles. Both men were climbing the gender rankings through the second half, a sign that each was running a well-paced, negative-split-style effort.

Hai Jung Jeong rounded out the top five in 4:19:19 (9:53/mi), followed by a tight cluster of Massachusetts's William Harrison (4:20:29), Maryland's James Taylor (4:21:47), and New York's Ron Wightman (4:22:01) — three finishers separated by just 14 seconds for 6th through 8th. All 20 listed finishers broke five hours on one of the sport's most storied and demanding courses, a testament to the quality of the M75-79 field on Patriots' Day.