M55-59 Half Marathon: Datta edges King in a tight Folsom finish

• Subu Datta won the M55-59 group in 2:31:51 (11:35/mi), finishing nearly two minutes clear of runner-up Richard King (2:33:46).
• Datta and King ran nearly in lockstep throughout — separated by just 1:55 at the finish after trading places in the men's field across all three checkpoints.
• Oleg Kachanov held 3rd in 2:37:29, with Orlando Mallari just 1:20 behind him in 4th at 2:38:49 — the middle of the group packed into a seven-minute window.
• Fred Ryland rounded out the five-man group in 3:10:46, finishing nearly 32 minutes back of Datta.

On a warm November morning in Folsom — 74°F with broken clouds — five M55-59 runners tackled the half marathon, and the race up front was genuinely close. Subu Datta, 59, of Folsom set the pace at 11:35/mi and never relinquished the lead, crossing in 2:31:51. Right on his heels was Richard King, 56, of West Sacramento, who finished in 2:33:46. The two moved through the men's field in near-parallel arcs, both climbing from the 90s in the early going before settling into their final positions — a gap of under two minutes after 13.1 miles is a real contest.

Behind them, Oleg Kachanov told a slightly different story. Also from West Sacramento, the 56-year-old came through the early checkpoints in a stronger men's field position than either Datta or King — sitting in the high 80s — but faded slightly over the second half, finishing 3rd in 2:37:29 at 12:01/mi. Kachanov's second-half split ranked among the slower ones in the broader field, suggesting the heat may have taken its toll as the race wore on.

Orlando Mallari, 59, of Fair Oaks ran a steady race to claim 4th in 2:38:49 — just 80 seconds behind Kachanov and only 57 seconds off the podium. Fred Ryland of Brentwood completed the group in 3:10:46, running 14:33/mi and finishing well off the pace of the front four, but getting it done on a warm Folsom afternoon nonetheless.