M70-74: Castillo dominates on a cold, wet morning in Napa

• Michael Castillo won the M70-74 field in 3:42:51 (8:30/mi), finishing more than 34 minutes clear of second place.
• Thomas Rovtar (4:16:55) and Charles Weston (4:17:11) — ages 73 and 71 — battled to the wire, separated by just 11 seconds at the finish.
• Weston posted the 430th-fastest men's split on the final 6.2-mile stretch, catching up ground on Rovtar, who had run the 430th-fastest men's split on the 6.2M–13.1M leg — a classic late-race charge that nearly flipped second place.
• Fourteen men finished the M70-74 field, from Castillo's 3:42:51 to Steve Radigan's 6:18:29 (14:26/mi).

In 41°F drizzle with a light headwind, Michael Castillo of Napa put on a masterclass of controlled aggression. Running 8:30 per mile, he crossed in 3:42:51 — a margin so commanding that the entire rest of the M70-74 field was still on course when he finished. His final push from mile 20 to the finish ranked 265th among all men on that segment, a strong late-race showing that underscored he never let up.

Behind him, the race for second was a genuine fight. Thomas Rovtar of Oswego, IL came through the middle miles with the 468th-fastest men's split on the 6.2M–13.1M segment, building enough of a cushion to hold on — but Charles Weston of Morgan Hill, CA came roaring through the final 6.2 miles with the 430th-fastest men's split on that closing stretch, a noticeably stronger finish-leg pace. Weston clawed back time but ran out of road, finishing in 4:17:06 to Rovtar's 4:16:55 — 11 seconds the difference between second and third.

Fourth and fifth were nearly as close. Cornelius Dooley of Santa Fe (4:29:44, 10:17/mi) edged Steven Rosenberg of Oakland (4:30:31, 10:19/mi) by 47 seconds, with Rosenberg posting the 524th-fastest men's split on the 20M-to-finish leg — suggesting he too was pressing hard to the end. Robert Dipietrae (4:47:49) through Steve Radigan (6:18:29) rounded out the remaining eight finishers, a spread of over 90 minutes that speaks to the sheer range of effort across 14 men willing to toe the line on a cold, wet Napa morning.