Barks & Brews 5K M65-69: Painting Sets the Pace in Sacramento

• John Painting wins the M65-69 group in 21:39 (6:58/mi), finishing 25 seconds clear of runner-up J Shane Curren (22:04, 7:06/mi).
• Curren made his move late — his 2M→3M split was the 78th-fastest among women in the field, edging out Painting's comparable segment and narrowing what had been a larger gap.
• Steve Ashe and John Feeney rounded out the top four at 23:59 and 24:42 respectively, with Ashe holding a 43-second cushion over Feeney through the final mile.
• 11 finishers spread across a wide range of efforts, from Painting's 6:58/mi to Glen Harada's 1:20:42 finish at the back of the M65-69 field.

John Painting, 65, from Fair Oaks, took the M65-69 title at the Barks & Brews 5K with a 21:39 — a 6:58/mi clip that held up wire to wire on a clear Sacramento morning. He moved through the men's field steadily if not in a straight line, sitting around 80th–83rd among the men across the checkpoints, but within the age group he was never seriously threatened. The 25-second margin over J Shane Curren at the line tells the story simply enough.

Curren, 67, out of Elk Grove, was the most interesting mover in the group. He climbed from 98th among the men at the first mile checkpoint all the way to 87th by the 2M mark — a genuine surge through the middle of the race — and his 2M→3M split was the 78th-fastest men's split on that segment, slightly sharper than Painting's corresponding leg. That closing speed closed some ground but not enough; Curren finished in 22:04 at 7:06/mi.

Behind the top two, Steve Ashe (23:59, 7:43/mi) and John Feeney (24:42, 7:57/mi) ran their own quiet battle, separated by 43 seconds with Ashe holding position throughout. Brian Malone rounded out the top five in 26:30 at 8:32/mi, more than a minute and a half back of Feeney. Jeff Olson (31:12), Robert Bardini (36:50), David Brotman (39:20), Allen Barnes (40:35), and David Alltop (42:29) all crossed the line to complete the M65-69 field, with Glen Harada of San Jose finishing in 1:20:42.