M75-79: Brian Smith Wins a Tight Three-Way Battle at Shamrock'n

• Brian Smith (76, Folsom) took the M75-79 title in 2:19:50 — a 10:40/mi pace — edging Charles Curran by just 1 minute 15 seconds.
• Top four separated by under 8 minutes, with Richard Burgess (2:27:19) and William Milliken (2:27:43) finishing just 24 seconds apart for 3rd and 4th.
• Richard Burgess made the most dramatic move of the race, climbing from 9th to 3rd among men on the Mile 11→Finish stretch, posting the strongest closing split of anyone in the M75-79 group.
• Nine men finished, spanning a range from Smith's 2:19:50 to Dennis Mori's 4:02:36 — nearly 1 hour 43 minutes from first to last.

Brian Smith controlled the M75-79 race from the front, running a steady 10:40/mi to cross in 2:19:50. His gender standing drifted slightly as the race wore on — moving from 1,316th to 1,406th among men between Mile 2 and the finish — a sign that the field around him was collectively quickening in the back half, not that Smith was fading dramatically. He had enough in reserve to hold off Charles Curran, who ran an equally measured 10:46/mi and actually gained ground throughout, climbing from 1,511th to 1,437th among men by the finish. Curran's 2:21:05 was a solid effort, but Smith's early cushion proved just enough.

The real drama unfolded behind them. Richard Burgess and William Milliken ran essentially the same race — 2:27:19 and 2:27:43, separated by only 24 seconds at the line — but Burgess earned 3rd by pulling away late. Both men were strong closers: Burgess rose from 1,818th to 1,542nd among men over the course of the race, while Milliken tracked a similar trajectory. John Schwaner rounded out the top five in 2:35:10, running a consistent 11:50/mi.

The back half of the field told a different story. Robert Rinker (3:07:39), Robert Lien (3:37:01), James Geary (3:48:37), and Dennis Mori (4:02:36) each navigated the 13.1 miles at their own pace, with Mori completing the course at 18:30/mi — a genuine commitment on a cool, clear Sacramento morning. All nine men finished, and in a group where simply toeing the line at 75–79 years old is no small thing, every one of them did.