M75-79: Hollingsworth Takes It at Two Cities — By 80 Seconds

• John Hollingsworth, 78, wins the M75-79 group in 2:31:55 (11:35/mi), edging fellow Hollingsworth Philip by 1 minute and 20 seconds.
• Philip Hollingsworth, 75, finishes 2nd in 2:33:15 (11:41/mi), just 80 seconds back after running a nearly identical first half of the race.
• James Shepard, 78, opened strong — moving up through the men's field in the early miles — before fading over the back half to finish 3rd in 2:46:58 (12:44/mi).
• Three finishers, two Hollingsworths: the M75-79 group at Two Cities delivered a tight battle at the front and a compelling reversal of fortune further back.

In a three-man M75-79 field at the Two Cities Half Marathon, John Hollingsworth of Fowler claimed the win in 2:31:55, averaging 11:35 per mile across the 13.1 miles in Fresno's warm November air. The 78-year-old ran a composed, progressive race — steadily moving up through the broader men's field from his start position, climbing from 640th to 620th to 581st among men by the finish. His closing split on the 10K-to-finish segment was the 548th-fastest among women in the field, a measure of the pace he was sustaining late in the race.

Right behind him, Philip Hollingsworth of Fresno — 75 years old and sharing more than a last name with the winner — crossed in 2:33:15. The two tracked each other closely through the opening miles, with Philip sitting just four spots ahead of John in the men's standings at the 10K mark. But John's slightly stronger close — 11:35/mi to Philip's 11:41/mi — opened an 80-second gap by the tape. That's a real margin, built on a real pace difference over the final stretch.

James Shepard of Coarsegold told a different story. The 78-year-old was actually running ahead of the Hollingsworths in the broader men's field through the first mile, sitting 533rd among men before the race's dynamics shifted. He faded through the middle and back half, slipping to 650th among men by the finish, and his 1-mile-to-10K split was the 647th-fastest among women — a slower sustained pace than either Hollingsworth managed in the closing segment. He finished 3rd in 2:46:58, nearly 14 minutes behind John.