Santa Rosa 5K: Betterton Owns M60-69 in a Dominant Wire-to-Wire Run

• David Betterton took the M60-69 win in 23:56 (7:42/mi) — nearly a full minute clear of the field.
• Michael Jenquin was the closest challenger, finishing 2nd in 24:41 (7:57/mi), 45 seconds back.
• Jake Rosen rounded out the podium in 25:24 (8:11/mi), holding off a gap of over two minutes to 4th place.
• The M60-69 field stretched across a wide range: 35 finishers from sub-24 minutes to well past 40.

David Betterton, 64, made the M60-69 race look straightforward from the front, crossing in 23:56 at a 7:42/mi clip — the sharpest pace of anyone in the field. His nearest rival, Michael Jenquin (also 64, out of Huntington Beach), ran a solid 7:57/mi to finish in 24:41, but that 45-second deficit tells the real story: Betterton was simply in a different gear on the morning.

Jake Rosen, 61 and a Santa Rosa local, locked up 3rd in 25:24 — a comfortable 8:11/mi that put him well clear of 4th-place Brent Coley, who came in at 27:28 (8:50/mi). That two-minute gap between 3rd and 4th effectively sealed the podium well before the finish line. Coley, 60 and making the trip from McKinleyville, held off Jim Stillens (28:46, 9:16/mi) for 5th to close out the top five.

Further back, the field spread out considerably. Emiliano Valdez (6th, 30:40) and Steve Montoya (7th, 31:06) were separated by only 26 seconds, with Gil Inouye (8th, 31:57), John Wildgust (9th, 32:49), and Rick Kaye (10th, 32:55) bunched within a minute of each other — a tight little battle for the back half of the top ten. At 69, Rigoberto Davalos was the oldest finisher in the listed results, crossing in 37:35 for 14th, a noteworthy effort at the top of the age range.