M70-74: Los Claims the Age Group in Huntsville's Bitter Cold

• Jim Los (72, Raeford NC) won the M70-74 age group in 1:08:27, averaging 11:01/mile through 29°F temperatures and a 16 mph wind.
• George Prude (72, Huntsville AL) completed the field in 1:39:23 — a gap of just over 30 minutes between the two finishers.
• Both men share the same age, making this a straight head-to-head between a pair of 72-year-olds on a frigid December morning.

With only two men toeing the line in the M70-74 age group, this was as close to a duel as a race can get — and Jim Los made sure there was no suspense about the outcome. Running at 11:01/mile through a sharp 29°F morning with a 16 mph wind cutting across Huntsville, Los covered the 10K in 1:08:27 to take the age group win comfortably.

George Prude, the hometown runner from Huntsville, kept moving through the same punishing conditions and crossed in 1:39:23 — a pace of nearly 16 minutes per mile that speaks to just how tough those conditions were on the back half. The 30-minute-plus gap between the two tells the story of a race where Los simply had a different gear on the day.

What makes this small field worth noting: both men are 72 years old, which means this wasn't a question of age advantage — just fitness, preparation, and the willingness to race a 10K in near-freezing temperatures two weeks before Christmas. Credit to both for showing up.