Boston Marathon M75-79: Crawford Holds Off Hieb in a Battle of Sub-3:45 Veterans

• David Crawford took the M75-79 title in 3:42:36 (8:29/mi), finishing 53 seconds ahead of runner-up John Hieb.
• John Hieb (3:43:29) and Richard Richard (3:48:32) rounded out the podium, with the top three all breaking 3:49.
• Ron Wightman edged Paul Funch for 5th by just 16 seconds (3:50:13 vs. 3:49:57 — wait, Funch was 4th), with a gap of only 16 seconds separating 4th and 5th.
• A field of 68 finishers in M75-79 spread from 3:42 to well past 4:30, with the top 5 all finishing under 3:51.

David Crawford crossed the line in 3:42:36, averaging 8:29 per mile across Boston's famously uneven 26.2, to claim the M75-79 title. The conditions — 51°F, overcast, with a 10 mph wind — were about as cooperative as Boston gets, and Crawford made the most of them. His nearest challenger, John Hieb of California, was right there through much of the race but couldn't close the 53-second gap that separated them at the line.

Hieb's own run deserves credit: 3:43:29 at 8:31/mi is a serious effort at any age. Richard Richard of Nova Scotia took third in 3:48:32, completing a podium where all three men averaged better than 8:44 per mile. That's a remarkable standard for the 75-79 group at one of the world's most demanding marathons.

The battle for 4th and 5th was the race's sharpest sub-story. Paul Funch (Massachusetts, 3:49:57) and Ron Wightman (New York, 3:50:13) were separated by just 16 seconds after more than three and a half hours of racing — Wightman showing particular strength in the 23M–24M stretch, where he posted one of the sharper splits of his race.

Behind the top five, the field spread out steadily. Ulrich Schmidt and Frank Moggan were the next pair to finish, both just over four hours, while the top 20 was complete by 4:31. All 68 finishers who toed the line in M75-79 earned their medals on a course that takes no prisoners — but it was Crawford who took the laurels.