M75-79: Russell Patrick Holds Off Jack Miller in a Battle of the Septuagenarians

• Russell Patrick (age 76) won the M75-79 race in 3:11:49 (14:38/mi), edging Jack Miller by 1 minute 21 seconds.
• Jack Miller (age 78) finished 2nd in 3:13:10 (14:44/mi) — the oldest of the three finishers, and just 81 seconds off the win.
• Larry Wilson (age 77) completed the half marathon in 5:55:32, finishing 3rd in a field of three.
• Patrick and Miller ran nearly identical races through 6.9 miles before Patrick pulled away — his 697th-fastest men's split on the back half compared to Miller's 700th.

On a cold, damp Napa morning — 37°F with heavy humidity — three men in their mid-to-late 70s toed the line for the M75-79 half marathon. Russell Patrick of Montecito took the win in 3:11:49, averaging 14:38 per mile across the full 13.1. At 76, he was the youngest of the trio, but he earned this one.

The real drama was the tussle between Patrick and Jack Miller of Vallejo. The two were running nearly in lockstep through the first 6.9 miles — both sitting around 683rd–684th among men at that checkpoint — before Patrick began to open a gap on the back half. Patrick ran the 6.9M-to-finish segment as the 697th-fastest men's split; Miller's was 700th. Those three places in the field translated to 81 seconds at the tape, with Miller crossing in 3:13:10 at age 78 — the oldest finisher in the group and just a minute and a half shy of the top step.

Larry Wilson of San Mateo had a different kind of day. The 77-year-old finished the course in 5:55:32 — 27:07 per mile — taking 3rd in the M75-79 field. The margin back to Miller was substantial, but Wilson covered 13.1 miles on a frigid California morning, and that's worth noting on its own terms. Three starters, three finishers.