M75-79: Dennis Deasy Runs Away from the Field at the People's Marathon

• Dennis Deasy won the M75-79 field in 4:04:05 (9:19/mi), finishing nearly 19 minutes clear of runner-up Steven Stanfield (4:22:54).
• Steven Stanfield (2nd, 4:22:54) and Jeff Morey (3rd, 4:24:56) were separated by just 2 minutes and 2 seconds after 26.2 miles through Arlington and Washington D.C.
• Al Rich (5th, 4:33:08) was the most dramatic mover in the field, climbing from well outside the top 12,000 men at the gun all the way to 8,615th by the finish.
• 51 men aged 75–79 crossed the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon, organized and run by the U.S. Marine Corps — no prize money on offer, just 26.2 miles past the monuments.

Dennis Deasy of Leland, NC, turned in a commanding performance on a crisp 42°F morning, running 9:19/mi to finish in 4:04:05 — a gap so large over the rest of the M75-79 field that second place wasn't decided until nearly 20 minutes later. His race was far from a passive cruise: his men's gender ranking bounced between 7,155th and 6,510th through the middle miles before he found another gear late, posting the 3,409th-fastest men's split on the 40K-to-finish stretch to reel in hundreds of runners in the closing miles.

Behind him, Steven Stanfield of Hope Mills, NC, and Jeff Morey of Cornelius, NC, waged a tight battle for the podium. Stanfield (2nd, 4:22:54, 10:02/mi) held the edge, but Morey (3rd, 4:24:56, 10:06/mi) closed the gap on the final stretch — his 5,743rd-fastest men's split from 40K to the finish was actually sharper than Stanfield's 5,842nd-fastest 35K–40K segment, meaning Morey was the one catching up late. Two minutes and two seconds was all that separated them at the tape.

Helaman Krause (4th, 4:28:33) and Al Rich (5th, 4:33:08) rounded out the top five, with Rich delivering the most striking positional journey of the day — starting deep in the men's field around 12,855th place and steadily grinding his way to 8,615th by the finish. Louis Trevisan (6th, 4:34:31) and Thomas Keller (7th, 4:38:58) kept the top half tight, while Mohamed Lehar (15th, 6:48:49) showed the grit this age group is known for, covering all 26.2 miles well within the marathon's seven-hour limit.