Shamrock Half Marathon M75-79: Aloyo edges Gladstone in a battle of septuagenarian speed

• Vincent Aloyo (79, Blue Bell, PA) won the M75-79 field in 2:31:27 (11:33/mi), holding off Bruce Gladstone by just 1:20.
• Bruce Gladstone (78, Westfield, NJ) finished 2nd in 2:32:47 (11:39/mi), closing the gap late — his 15K–20K split was stronger relative to his overall pace than Aloyo's corresponding stretch.
• James Cox (77, Ocala) claimed 3rd in 3:03:05, finishing more than 30 minutes ahead of 4th-place Timothy Dull (3:10:40).
• Bill Smith (78, Liberty, MO) rounded out the nine-man field in 3:45:45 (17:13/mi), completing the race in Virginia Beach's thick, humid air — 95% humidity and an 11 mph wind off the coast.

Nine men aged 76–79 toed the line at the Shamrock Half Marathon, and the race at the front was genuinely close. Vincent Aloyo, at 79 the oldest man in the M75-79 field, set the pace from the start and never fully relinquished it, crossing in 2:31:27 at an 11:33/mi clip. That's a commanding performance in heavy, humid conditions, and Aloyo's position in the men's field drifted only gradually as the miles piled up — he was moving through the field steadily and consistently throughout.

Bruce Gladstone made it interesting. The 78-year-old from Westfield ran a notably stronger 15K–20K segment, and by the final miles the gap had narrowed considerably. But Aloyo had enough banked to hold on, and the 1:20 margin at the finish — 2:32:47 for Gladstone — reflects just how hard Gladstone pushed in that closing stretch. Two men in their late 70s, separated by eighty seconds over 13.1 miles in coastal Virginia humidity: that's the story of this race.

Behind the top two, a wide gap opened. James Cox (3rd, 3:03:05) and Timothy Dull (4th, 3:10:40) ran their own measured races, with Cox holding a 7:35 cushion. Neal Ammerman (5th, 3:23:55) and David Evans (6th, 3:24:17) were separated by just 22 seconds, with George White (7th, 3:26:29) not far behind. John Ramirez finished 8th in 3:30:37, and Bill Smith brought it home in 3:45:45 — all nine men finishing a half marathon at 76 or older, in conditions that would test athletes half their age.