M70-74: Jeff Mitchell Runs Away With It in Fresno

• Jeff Mitchell won the M70-74 group in 1:18:09 (12:35/mi), nearly 7 minutes clear of second place.
• Salvador Ramirez held second in 1:25:02 (13:41/mi), finishing more than 18 minutes ahead of third.
• Kirby Schlotterback, 70, rounded out the three-man group in 1:43:47 — a 16:42/mi effort on a warm Fresno morning.

Three men aged 70 and up toed the line for the Two Cities Marathon 10K on a clear, 74°F day in Fresno — not the friendliest conditions for distance running, but Mitchell made it look manageable. The 73-year-old from Kingsburg posted a 12:35/mi average to win the M70-74 group by 6 minutes and 53 seconds, a margin that was never really in doubt.

Ramirez, 71, out of Madera, was solid and unchallenged in second. His 13:41/mi pace held steady enough to keep a comfortable cushion over Schlotterback throughout, and the gap between them only widened as the race wore on — ultimately stretching to more than 18 minutes by the finish line.

Schlotterback, the youngest of the three at 70 and a local from Fresno, came home in 1:43:47. His closing stretch — a 326th-fastest split on the final push to the finish among all runners — reflected a tough back half, but finishing a 10K at 70 in the July heat is its own accomplishment. Mitchell's late surge told the opposite story: his 262nd-fastest closing split in the field showed he had something left when it mattered most, pulling away from the field while others faded in the warmth.