Two Cities Marathon M65-69: Lafler Takes the Age Group Title

• Steve Lafler (4:10:11) won the M65-69 age group at a 9:33/mi clip, moving up 25 places among the men in the second half of the race.
• George Gonzales (4:13:54) finished second — a local Fresno runner — just 3:43 behind Lafler but faded slightly in the back half, slipping 11 places among the men after the 10K mark.
• Allan Lombardi (4:24:00) claimed third, running 10:04/mi and making up 30 places among the men after the 10K — the biggest positive move in the age group.
• A field of eight stretched from Lafler's 4:10:11 to Jasper Mersereau's 7:15:22, a span of over three hours.

Steve Lafler of Santa Rosa came to Fresno and left with the M65-69 crown, finishing in 4:10:11 at a steady 9:33/mi. What made his win particularly clean was his second-half surge: he climbed 25 spots among the men from the 10K mark to the finish, a sign that while others were tightening up on this flat Central Valley course, Lafler was hitting his stride.

George Gonzales, racing in his hometown of Fresno, pushed Lafler hardest, crossing in 4:13:54. But the 10K-to-finish split tells a different story — Gonzales dropped 11 places among the men over that stretch while Lafler was charging forward. That's a gap that grew, not shrank, and it shows how decisive the second half was in separating these two. Allan Lombardi of Visalia rounded out the podium in 4:24:00, and his 30-place climb among the men after the 10K was the most aggressive positive move in the entire age group — he finished strong where others faded.

Randy Comfort (4:42:11) and David Schilling (4:50:17) both gained ground in the back half, finishing 4th and 5th respectively. Paul Rodman of Palo Alto rounded out the top six in 4:52:11. Carlos Guzman finished 7th in 5:45:22, and Jasper Mersereau of Goochland, Virginia — the only finisher from outside California — completed the course in 7:15:22 to claim 8th. Eight men, one finish line, all of them 65 or older, all of them marathoners.