M70+ Marathon: Schiller Rules the Senior Field in Santa Rosa

• Robin Schiller, 72, wins M70+ in 4:05:02 (9:21/mi), finishing more than four minutes clear of runner-up Luis Lavagnino.
• Luis Lavagnino, 72, took 2nd in 4:09:12 (9:30/mi), with Frank Polansky, 71, a distant 3rd in 4:45:52 (10:54/mi).
• Schiller ran the stronger back half, posting the 414th-fastest split on the 13.1M→Finish segment among women in the field — moving from 494th to 439th in the women's standings over that stretch.
• Pat Matthews, 77, the oldest finisher in the M70+ field, crossed in 7:07:06 — a full 3:02:04 behind Schiller, but finishing a 26.2-mile race at 77 is the story in itself.

On a cool, clear morning in Sonoma County — 52°F with a light breeze — six men in the M70+ field toed the line on one of the flattest, fastest marathon courses in California. Robin Schiller made the most of it. The 72-year-old Santa Rosa local ran a composed 9:21/mi pace from start to finish, taking the M70+ title in 4:05:02 and pulling away from the field in the second half. His 13.1M→Finish split was the stronger of his two halves, as he climbed from 494th to 439th among women in the broader field — a clear sign he was running people down, not holding on.

Luis Lavagnino of San Francisco was the closest challenger, finishing 2nd in 4:09:12 at a 9:30/mi clip. The gap to Schiller was just over four minutes — meaningful on a course this flat — and Lavagnino, too, ran a solid back half, moving from 496th to 465th in the women's standings over that same stretch. Frank Polansky, 71, of Palo Alto rounded out the podium in 4:45:52 (10:54/mi), finishing a comfortable 36 minutes behind Lavagnino.

The back of the M70+ field told a different kind of story. Bryan Henry, 74, of Angwin crossed in 5:49:18, and Arturo Lopez, 73, of Beaumont came through in 6:19:44 — both logging times that reflect genuine endurance at an age when simply finishing a marathon demands respect. And then there was Pat Matthews, 77, of Stockton: the oldest competitor in the field, crossing the line in 7:07:06 at a 16:17/mi pace to claim that finisher medal and full-zip jacket the hard way.