M60-64: Drew Bell Dominates in the Cold

• Bell's margin was enormous: His 45:31 (7:20/mi) was more than 9 minutes ahead of runner-up Jack Landreth's 54:47 — a gap nearly as wide as the difference between 2nd and 14th place.
• Tight battle for the podium: Tim Wilcox (56:26) edged Paul Lassauw (59:28) for 3rd by under three minutes, with both men running close to 9-minute-mile pace in 29°F conditions.
• Local strength up front: Bell, Landreth, and Lassauw all represent Madison, AL — three of the top four finishers from the same town.
• Wide spread across 14 finishers: The M60-64 group ranged from Bell's 45:31 to William Hoffman's 1:41:01, a 55-minute window across 14 men who showed up on a frigid December morning.

Drew Bell made the M60-64 race his own from the gun. Running 7:20 per mile through a 29°F morning with a 16 mph wind cutting across Huntsville, the 60-year-old from Madison finished in 45:31 — a time that would make plenty of younger runners envious. His nearest competitor, Jack Landreth, crossed in 54:47, meaning Bell had nearly nine and a half minutes in hand. That's not a win; that's a statement.

Behind Landreth, the real drama played out in the fight for the podium. Tim Wilcox of Houston, AL ran 56:26 to secure 3rd, holding off Madison's Paul Lassauw (59:28) by just under three minutes. Both men were grinding through 9-plus-minute miles in conditions that punished anyone who went out too fast or dressed too light. Jay Tibbs (1:04:35) and Amir Mobasher (1:05:45) then ran nearly shoulder-to-shoulder for 5th and 6th, separated by just 70 seconds.

The back half of the field spread out considerably, with Tom Brown making the longest trek — arriving from Beaverton, Oregon to finish 8th in 1:09:48. Dan Reeves of Saratoga Springs, Utah rounded out the single-digit finishers in 11th at 1:20:31, while Jamin McNeil (Castle Rock, CO) and William Hoffman (Peoria, IL) brought it home to close out the group. Fourteen men from across the country — and one very cold Alabama morning — made sure the M60-64 race had a story worth telling.