Masters Men 5K: Schirado dominates in the Bismarck cold

• Brandon Schirado, 44, wins in 19:18 (6:13/mi) — a 1:37 margin over 2nd place in a field of 48 Masters Men.
• Bryan Beye, 50, takes 2nd in 20:55 (6:44/mi) — the top finisher among the 50-and-over set.
• Jari Kariluoma, 66, claims 3rd in 24:45 — a standout result from one of the field's older competitors, finishing 14 seconds ahead of 4th-place Tracy Hanzal (24:59).
• Jack Hanzal, 81, finishes 18th in 34:34 — the oldest man in the listed field, still running 11:08/mi in 39°F conditions.

Sunday morning in Bismarck brought a sharp 39°F with heavy humidity and a steady breeze — not the kind of weather that invites fast times — but Brandon Schirado didn't seem to notice. The 44-year-old from Beulah ran a 6:13/mi pace from start to finish and crossed in 19:18, winning the Masters Men race by a clear 1 minute and 37 seconds. That gap was decisive and built to stay.

Bryan Beye of Mandan was the best of the rest, clocking 20:55 at 6:44/mi for 2nd place. Those are meaningfully different paces — Schirado ran nearly half a minute per mile faster — but Beye's performance is its own story: at 50, he was the top finisher among the older half of this field and put real distance between himself and 3rd place. Jari Kariluoma, 66, was next across in 24:45, a genuinely impressive run that held off Bismarck's Tracy Hanzal (4th, 24:59) by just 14 seconds. Hanzal and Theodore Kelly (5th, 25:36) rounded out the top five within a tight 51-second window.

The back of the top 20 told its own compelling story. David Strauss (14th, 32:25) and Quentin Wentz (15th, 32:35) — ages 74 and 75 respectively — ran within 10 seconds of each other through the cold morning air, and 81-year-old Jack Hanzal of Parshall finished 18th in 34:34. With 48 men completing the race, the Masters Men field was a reminder that competitive running has no real expiration date.