Long Beach Marathon M60-64: Romero Runs Away With It

• Ruperto Romero, 61, wins in 3:04:27 — a 7:02/mi average that left the field in his wake by more than four minutes.
• Three men under 3:10: Romero, Sergio Torres (3:08:44, 7:12/mi), and Trinidad Robles (3:09:06, 7:13/mi) formed a tight podium, with just 22 seconds separating 2nd from 3rd.
• Terence Tessier held 4th in 3:25:18 — a 16-minute gap back to the podium, but a strong 7:50/mi effort in warm, humid conditions.
• 51 finishers completed the M60-64 race, with 20th-place Madhu Ayyagari crossing in 4:26:09 — more than 80 minutes off the winner's time.

Ruperto Romero of Huntington Park, CA, controlled this race from start to finish. His move data tells the story: he entered the men's field around 64th place early, drifted back through the middle miles as the longer race took hold, then reasserted himself to finish 117th among all men — a sign he was running his own measured race while many around him faded. At 7:02/mi over 26.2 miles on a warm October morning in Long Beach — 72°F, 73% humidity — that's a performance that demanded respect at any age, let alone in the 60-64 bracket.

Behind Romero, Torres and Robles ran a compelling duel for the podium. Torres (3:08:44) and Robles (3:09:06) were separated by just 22 seconds at the line, but they got there differently. Robles was the stronger runner from the half to mile 20, posting the 132nd-fastest split in the field on that segment and steadily climbing through the men's standings. Torres, meanwhile, made his move late — running the 148th-fastest split in the field from mile 20 to the finish — catching up ground in the closing miles. In the end Torres held 2nd by 22 seconds, but Robles was the one finishing stronger.

Tessier's 3:25:18 for 4th was a clear and comfortable gap ahead of 5th-place Sebastian Lopez (3:39:32, 8:22/mi), and from there the field spread across another 47 minutes to Madhu Ayyagari's 4:26:09 in 20th. The M60-64 race at Long Beach in 2025 had a clean, decisive shape: one man out front, a fierce battle for the podium just behind him, and a deep field of 51 who all earned their finish lines on a warm Southern California Sunday.