M75-79 Marathon: Urbanski claims the title in San Francisco's cool fog

• Mike Urbanski, 76, wins in 5:05:59 (11:40/mi), finishing nearly 4 minutes clear of runner-up Michael Zohourian's 5:09:47.
• Zohourian closes strong, posting the 2,508th-fastest split in the field on the final 24.69M–Finish stretch to narrow the gap late.
• George Powell and Joe Cordova complete the four-man field in 5:56:52 and 6:11:11 respectively — a 50-minute spread from first to last.
• Four men, ages 75–76, finished a full 26.2 miles through San Francisco's hills in 56°F fog — that alone is the story.

Under overcast skies and near-total humidity, four men in the M75-79 field set out to conquer San Francisco's famously rolling course, and Mike Urbanski of Tucson made the clearest case for the win. Running an 11:40/mi average, Urbanski steadily climbed the men's standings throughout the race, moving from outside the top 3,200 men at the midpoint to 3,220th by mile 18 — then posted the 2,868th-fastest split in the field on the 18M–24.69M stretch to lock up the lead. He crossed in 5:05:59, taking the M75-79 title by 3 minutes and 48 seconds.

Michael Zohourian, also 76 and racing from San Ramon, kept the pressure on throughout. His movement through the men's field was more measured — he sat close to Urbanski's position for much of the race — but he saved his best for last, turning in the 2,508th-fastest split in the field on the closing 24.69M-to-finish segment. That late surge trimmed the margin but couldn't close it entirely, and Zohourian finished second in 5:09:47 (11:49/mi).

Behind the top two, George Powell of Austin and Joe Cordova of La Puente raced their own battle through the back half. Powell, 75, faded progressively through the men's standings after the early miles, finishing third in 5:56:52 at a 13:37/mi pace. Cordova, also 75, was more consistent in his positioning across the checkpoints and came home fourth in 6:06:11 (13:58/mi) — 9 minutes and 19 seconds back of Powell but steady to the line. A 50-minute gap from Urbanski's winning time to Cordova's finish tells you everything about the range of this small, remarkable field.