Two Cities Marathon 5K — M65-69: Vannarat Runs Away with It

• Roger Vannarat wins the M65-69 group in 37:12 (11:58/mi) — nearly four minutes clear of the field.
• Tight trio at 67: Vannarat, Robert Nakamura (2nd, 41:09), and Michael Cisneros (3rd, 44:30) are all the same age, making the top of the podium an all-67-year-old affair.
• Back of the pack battles: Rahmatollah Salimi Jazi (8th, 55:22) and Rod Kraft (9th, 55:41) finished just 19 seconds apart, while Neil Dadian (10th, 58:26) and John Wimbs (11th, 59:13) were separated by only 47 seconds.
• Full field: All 12 M65-69 entrants crossed the finish line, from Vannarat's 37:12 to Steve Cade's 1:04:30.

Roger Vannarat set the tone from the gun and never let up, crossing in 37:12 at an 11:58/mi clip — a pace that put nearly four minutes of daylight between him and second place. That margin isn't a photo finish; it's a statement. In a group where every finisher is between 65 and 69 years old, Vannarat's effort stood out as the clear class of the day.

Behind him, the podium was a reunion of sorts for the 67-year-olds. Robert Nakamura of Clovis finished second in 41:09 (13:15/mi), and Michael Cisneros of Fresno took third in 44:30 (14:19/mi). Mark Layne rounded out the top four in 47:21, with Kelly Clark (5th, 51:32) and Ernest Duran (6th, 52:19) keeping things competitive in the middle of the pack — just 47 seconds separating fifth from sixth.

The race's tightest battle played out between Salimi Jazi and Kraft, who traded strides deep into the course before finishing 8th and 9th in 55:22 and 55:41 respectively — a 19-second gap after 5K of running. Dadian (58:26) and Wimbs (59:13) similarly pushed each other to the line. Steve Cade of Fresno brought it home in 1:04:30 to complete a full 12-for-12 finish rate in the M65-69 group.