Two Cities Marathon 10K: Herdev Athwal Owns the M80-99 Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Herdev Athwal, 82, crossed in 1:25:26 — the only M80-99 competitor on the course.
• Finishing kick: Athwal gained ground over the final stretch, moving from 301st to 295th among the men between the 1-mile mark and the finish.
• Strong closing split: His 1M→Finish split ranked 287th fastest among the men in that segment.

There was only one name on the M80-99 start list Sunday in Fresno, and Herdev Athwal made sure it counted. The 82-year-old Fresno native covered the 10K course in 1:25:26 at a 13:45/mi pace — a genuine athletic feat in its own right, regardless of the size of the field.

What makes Athwal's run worth a closer look is what happened in that final push from the one-mile mark to the finish line. He moved up six places among the men — from 301st to 295th — and posted the 287th-fastest men's split on that closing segment in the entire field. In a race with temperatures climbing toward 74°F under clear Fresno skies, finishing strong takes real discipline, and Athwal delivered exactly that.

At 82, simply toeing the line at a 10K is a statement. Doing it on a warm November morning and closing with one of the better splits in the field? That's the kind of performance that earns its own paragraph. Herdev Athwal takes the M80-99 title — and every bit of the credit that comes with it.