M70-74: Jacob Nur Dominates a Tough Day in Folsom

• Jacob Nur finished in 2:19:25 at a 6:58/mi average — nearly 1 hour 28 minutes clear of Robert Mathews in 2nd.
• Robert Mathews (3:47:53, 11:24/mi) held off Velizar Roganovic (4:14:40, 12:44/mi) by just under 27 minutes for 2nd place.
• Nur's closing kick was exceptional: he posted the 9th-fastest split on the Mile 16-to-Finish stretch among all men, surging from 40th to 22nd in the men's field across the race.
• All three men finished a 20-miler in 74°F heat — a genuine test of endurance at any age.

Three men lined up in the M70-74 group at Run the Parkway, and they delivered three very different stories across 20 miles of Folsom roads on a warm November morning. With temperatures reaching 74°F and humidity at 59%, the conditions were no gift to anyone, but Jacob Nur made it look manageable.

Nur was in a class of his own from the start. Running at a 6:58/mi clip, he steadily climbed through the men's field — moving from 40th at the first checkpoint all the way to 22nd by the finish. His closing segment was the standout moment of the M70-74 race: the 9th-fastest split on the Mile 16-to-Finish stretch among all men is a remarkable number for a 70-year-old in those conditions, and it's what separates a strong race from a genuinely impressive one.

Behind him, Robert Mathews and Velizar Roganovic ran their own quiet battles against the distance and the heat. Mathews, 72, held a steady 11:24/mi through to the finish, securing 2nd in the M70-74 group at 3:47:53. Roganovic, the oldest of the three at 74, crossed in 4:14:40 — a 12:44/mi effort over 20 miles in November heat that deserves its own acknowledgment. He faded slightly through the back half, slipping through the men's field from 280th to 294th, but finishing is the point on a day like this.

Nur takes the M70-74 win convincingly. The real story, though, is three men in their seventies covering 20 miles in Folsom heat — and every one of them making it to the line.