M75-79 at Barks & Brews 5K: Ed Walsh Runs Away from the Field

• Ed Walsh, 76, wins M75-79 in 27:14 (8:46/mi) — more than five minutes clear of the rest of the group.
• Steve Schnaidt edges Charles Curran for 2nd: 32:25 to 32:40, just 15 seconds separating them at the line.
• Robert Rinker and Dennis Scott battle to the finish, 10 seconds apart at 45:28 and 45:38 for 5th and 6th.
• Seven men aged 75–78 finished the 5K on a warm Sacramento morning, with Glenn Bailey, 77, completing the course in 59:14.

Ed Walsh made this one look straightforward. The 76-year-old from Placerville crossed in 27:14 — an 8:46-per-mile clip that was a full 5:11 faster than anyone else in the M75-79 group. He was moving through the field right to the end, picking up nine places in the men's field over the final stretch from the 1-mile mark to the finish. On a clear 73°F morning in Sacramento, that's a composed, controlled performance from wire to wire.

Behind Walsh, the real drama played out between Steve Schnaidt and Charles Curran. The two Sacramento runners ran nearly identical races — 32:25 and 32:40 respectively — with Schnaidt holding on for 2nd at 10:26 per mile and Curran just 15 seconds back in 3rd at 10:31. Both were still moving forward in the men's field over the closing mile, though Curran dropped a handful of spots in that final segment while Schnaidt continued to advance. Davis's Jose Aguirre finished a clear 4th in 36:18.

Further back, Rinker and Scott staged a quiet duel of their own. The 78-year-old Rinker came in 5th at 45:28, with Dennis Scott just 10 seconds behind at 45:38 — both men still reeling in runners ahead of them in the closing mile. Glenn Bailey of Roseville rounded out the seven-man group in 59:14, finishing every step of the course to complete the M75-79 field.