M60-69 5K: Dante Capone Laps the Field in Misty Santa Rosa

• Capone wins in 15:44 (5:04/mi) — nearly 6 minutes clear of 2nd place in a 30-man field.
• Alejandro Gonzalez (21:34, 6:56/mi) edges Andy Lieberman (21:48, 7:01/mi) for 2nd, just 14 seconds separating them.
• David Betterton (23:33) and Shay Lee (24:49) round out the top five, with Lee completing the podium chase from Honolulu.
• Dante Capone also won the Men's Marathon on the same day — a remarkable double in Santa Rosa.

There's a headline performance, and then there's what Dante Capone did on Saturday morning in the Santa Rosa mist. The 60-year-old from Sebastopol crossed in 15:44 at a 5:04/mi clip — nearly six full minutes ahead of the next man in a field of 30. That gap isn't a race, it's a statement. And it didn't happen in isolation: Capone also took the overall men's marathon title on the same day. Racing and winning across two events in one event weekend is one of the best stories on the card, full stop.

Behind him, the real racing happened. Alejandro Gonzalez of Ben Lomond ran a composed 21:34 (6:56/mi) to claim 2nd, while local Santa Rosan Andy Lieberman pushed hard at 7:01/mi to finish 3rd in 21:48. Fourteen seconds separated them — a legitimate battle for the silver that Gonzalez ultimately controlled. David Betterton (23:33, 7:35/mi) and Shay Lee (24:49, 7:59/mi) completed the top five, with Lee making the trip from Honolulu count.

The middle of the field showed a tight cluster, with Jake Rosen (25:35), Jim Stillens (27:48), Nicholas Florio (28:35), John Thornburg (28:46), and Paul Forrest (29:05) all finishing within about three and a half minutes of each other — a genuine pack race for positions six through ten. The conditions — 60°F, heavy mist, 91% humidity — kept everyone honest, and the 30 finishers who made it through earned every second.