Way Too Cool 50K M60-69: Monem Holds Off Irons in a 35-Second Thriller

• Mansour Monem (65, Carmichael) won M60-69 in 5:36:22 at a 10:50/mi clip — the only finisher in the group to break 5:37.
• Ted Irons (62, Auburn) was just 35 seconds back at 5:36:57 — the closest gap in the entire M60-69 field.
• Ken Webster (60, Portland) claimed third in 6:26:25, more than 49 minutes clear of Irons but nearly 24 minutes ahead of fourth place.
• The back half of the field spread wide: the gap from 4th to 10th spanned nearly two hours, with John Feeney rounding out the ten finishers in 8:40:09.

Mansour Monem and Ted Irons ran what amounted to a two-man race at the front of the M60-69 group, trading positions throughout the afternoon. Both men were in the mid-60s in the men's field through the middle of the course before Monem edged ahead on the final stretch — his HWY 49→Finish split ranking 67th among men, with Irons one spot back in 68th. At 10:50 and 10:51 per mile respectively, they were locked in step for 31 miles before 35 seconds separated them at the line.

Ken Webster made steady work of the course from Portland, moving from 158th in the men's field at the first checkpoint all the way up to 113th by the finish — a consistent climb that secured him third place in M60-69 by a comfortable margin. His 12:26/mi average tells a measured story across 31 miles of Sierra Nevada foothills.

Behind Webster, the field stretched out considerably. Manouch Shirvanioun (4th, 6:50:05) and Gilberto Esteban (5th, 6:57:38) were separated by just under eight minutes, with Esteban navigating a slight drift back in the men's standings over the second half. Michael Peoples, John Nichols, and Steve Lynn filled spots six through eight across a 30-minute window, before Vaughan Landrum and John Feeney closed out the M60-69 group — Feeney finishing in 8:40:09, more than three hours after Monem crossed the line.