M60-64 Half Marathon: Torres sets the pace in a frigid Huntsville morning

• Rick Torres (age 63, Elizabethtown, KY) won the M60-64 group in 1:26:53 — a 6:38/mi clip that stood well clear of the field.
• Richard Alderton (age 60, Oakwood, OH) was a solid runner-up in 1:29:25 (6:49/mi), finishing 2:32 behind Torres.
• 4th vs. 5th came down to a dead heat on the clock — Daniel Stonaker and Sidney Mays both crossed in 1:40:15, though Stonaker holds 4th by the timing chip.
• A wide spread defined the group: from Torres's 1:26:53 to the 18th-listed finisher Dan Reeves at 2:17:58 — nearly 51 minutes separating them across 30 finishers.

With 29°F temperatures, a 16 mph wind, and clear skies over Huntsville, the M60-64 men faced a properly sharp December morning — the kind that rewards those who go out controlled and punishes anyone who doesn't dress for it. Rick Torres was not punished. The 63-year-old from Elizabethtown, Kentucky ran 6:38 per mile from start to finish, and his second-half split on the 6.8M-to-Finish segment ranked 24th among all men in the race — a mark that would be impressive at any age.

Richard Alderton, the youngest man on the podium at 60, gave chase but couldn't close the gap, finishing in 1:29:25. His 6:49/mi average was respectable in these conditions, and his second-half split ranked 31st among the men — showing he held his form through the back half. The anonymous third-place finisher (age 61) came home in 1:35:58, another 6:33 further back, rounding out a podium that was cleanly separated at the top.

The race's most dramatic moment on paper came at 4th and 5th, where Daniel Stonaker (Alpharetta, GA) and Sidney Mays (Sylacauga, AL) — both age 60 and 64 respectively — posted the identical time of 1:40:15 at 7:39/mi. The clock couldn't split them, but the timing chip gave Stonaker the edge. Mays, at 64, was the oldest man in the top five, which makes that result all the more notable.

Further back, the field spread out considerably, with nine finishers bunched between 1:59:51 and 2:19:48 — a testament to how the cold and distance can compress effort levels across the middle of the pack. All 30 men who started finished, and on a morning this raw, that's worth noting on its own.