M75-79 Half Marathon: Burgess Claims the Age Group in Folsom Heat

• Richard Burgess won the M75-79 group in 2:25:24 (11:05/mi), finishing more than six minutes clear of second place.
• Charles Curran ran the steadiest race of the four, holding his men's field position through the second half to claim 2nd in 2:31:48 (11:35/mi).
• Steven Polansky, 79, was the oldest finisher in the group and crossed in 2:55:22 — a remarkable effort at the top of the age band.
• A 93-minute spread separated 1st from 4th across just four finishers, making every place a hard-won result on a warm November morning.

Four men in the 75-to-79 bracket toed the line in Folsom on Sunday, racing 13.1 miles under broken clouds and 74°F heat — conditions that make any finish at this age group worth noting. Richard Burgess of Lincoln controlled the race from the front, steadily climbing through the men's field as the miles ticked by, moving from 94th to 83rd among all men by the finish. His 11:05-per-mile average held firm across the full distance, and the six-plus-minute margin over Charles Curran tells the story of a race that was never seriously in doubt at the top.

Curran, also 76, ran a composed effort out of Sacramento. He sat close to Burgess early — just two spots back in the men's field at the first checkpoint — and while he couldn't close the gap, he didn't lose ground either, finishing 2nd in 2:31:48. His second half was strong enough to rank among the better splits in the broader men's field on that stretch, a sign of someone who managed the heat well rather than fading into it.

Steven Polansky of Carmichael brought the most compelling subplot: at 79, he was the oldest man in the group and finished 3rd in 2:55:22 (13:23/mi). He held his position in the men's field through the middle miles and found something extra in the final stretch from Mile 10 to the finish. Dennis Mori of San Leandro rounded out the group in 3:58:57 — nearly four hours of work at 18:14 per mile, a pace that reflects the sheer endurance required to cover a half marathon at this stage of life. All four finished. That's the headline that matters most.