Broken Arrow 5-Mile (IFC): Parsons owns the M60-69 field

• Duane Parsons, 66, wins M60-69 in 1:51:09 — averaging 22:14/mile across a rugged course ranging up to 7,191 feet.
• Mark Shijo, 67, finishes second in 3:30:49 — a gap of 1:39:40 separating the two men.
• Two finishers, two very different days on the mountain — Parsons crossed in just over half the time it took Shijo.

The M60-69 field at this year's Broken Arrow 5-Mile IFC was a two-man contest, and Duane Parsons of Ramona, CA made it look decisive. The 66-year-old took the win in 1:51:09, holding a 22:14-per-mile average across a course that climbs through thin air between 6,220 and 7,191 feet above sea level — terrain that has a way of exposing any weakness in pacing or preparation. On a dry, breezy day at 65°F with 17 mph winds, Parsons navigated it with authority.

Behind him, Sacramento's Mark Shijo, 67, completed the course in 3:30:49 — a finishing time that reflects just how unforgiving this mountain can be. The 1:39:40 margin between first and second is a wide one, but finishing a technical skyrace at altitude in your late 60s is its own kind of statement. Shijo gets to the line, and that counts.

With only two men in the field, there was no podium drama to speak of — but both athletes showed up and took on a course that most people wouldn't dare attempt. Parsons takes the M60-69 title cleanly; Shijo earns his second-place finish the hard way.