Santa Rosa 10K: William Rostel dominates M60-69 on a cool, misty morning

• William Rostel, 65, wins in 53:12 — an 8:34/mi pace that put two full minutes between him and the rest of the field.
• Tight podium battle: Jim Stillens (2nd, 55:13) and Prasanta De (3rd, 55:26) were separated by just 13 seconds, with Matt Carpenter (4th, 55:47) and Craig Perry (5th, 55:56) piling in within 43 seconds of De.
• Steven Jenkins, 69, earns 6th at 56:44 — the oldest finisher in the top ten, running 9:08/mi through the mist.
• 22 finishers completed the M60-69 race, spanning from Rostel's 53:12 to a spread of more than 26 minutes across the field.

The story of the M60-69 race was William Rostel's from the gun. The 65-year-old Santa Rosa local crossed in 53:12 — a crisp 8:34/mi on a humid, overcast morning — and no one came close. His margin over 2nd-place Jim Stillens was 2:01, a gap that speaks to a commanding, wire-to-wire kind of effort rather than a late surge or a rival's fade.

Behind Rostel, the real drama was packed into a 43-second window from 2nd through 5th place. Stillens (55:13, 8:53/mi) edged Prasanta De (55:26, 8:55/mi) by 13 seconds, with Matt Carpenter of nearby Sebastopol (55:47, 8:59/mi) and Craig Perry (55:56, 9:00/mi) breathing down their necks. Four men, four distinct paces, all finishing within less than a minute — that's a podium battle worth savoring.

Steven Jenkins, 69, deserves a special mention: running 9:08/mi to finish 6th in 56:44, he was the eldest in the top ten and still beat a field of younger competitors. Arturo Garcia rounded out the top seven in 58:41 before a noticeable gap opened to Kent Yinger in 8th (1:00:51), marking the point where the pack began to spread.

The misty 60°F conditions were as good as Santa Rosa in August can offer, and the front of the M60-69 field made the most of it — four runners breaking 56 minutes and six finishing under an hour on a morning that rewarded those willing to push the pace.