Broken Arrow 23K M60-69: Houghton Dominates at the Top, Drama Unfolds Behind

• Rob Houghton (67) wins the M60-69 group in 3:07:22 — a 13:07/mi average across 23K of high-altitude Sierra terrain, finishing 15 minutes 44 seconds ahead of runner-up Kirk Reynolds.
• David Long surged hardest on the back half, climbing from 7th place in the men's field to 5th by the finish — the most decisive position gain among the top finishers.
• Tightest battle of the day: Reynolds (3:22:06) and Long (3:23:53) were separated by just 1 minute 47 seconds at the line after racing nearly identical back halves.
• Widest spread in the group: Houghton's winning time and Joseph Eisenberg's 3:08:34 gap back in 12th (6:08:56) underscore just how varied the day's challenges proved across 12 finishers.

Rob Houghton, at 67 the oldest man in the M60-69 field, turned in the most commanding performance of the day. Running 13:07/mi across a course that climbs toward 8,894 feet — where thinner air punishes any lapse in pacing discipline — he never relinquished his lead. His move from 130th to 115th among men on the Snow King–to–Siberia segment signals that his strongest running came in the race's middle stretch, and he held that advantage clean through to the finish.

Behind him, Kirk Reynolds and David Long waged the day's most compelling battle. Reynolds, out of Claremont, held the edge through the early miles, but Long — starting from Los Osos — reeled him in steadily. Long's Siberia–to–High Camp split was among the sharper climbs in the field, and he ultimately closed to within 1:47. At 60, both men share the same age, making their duel a genuine test of tactics and fitness rather than age-bracket arithmetic.

Doc Bodensteiner held 4th but faded on the final High Camp–to–finish leg, his position in the men's field slipping from 208th to 210th on that closing stretch. Roland Burgmann and Patrick Bedwell rounded out the top six within two minutes of each other (3:54:13 vs. 3:55:40), a tight tuck at the back of the lead group.

The field spread wide from there. Kenneth Bossung through Henry Tominaga clustered between 4:26 and 4:51, while Joseph Eisenberg — making the trek from Ann Arbor — completed the course in 6:08:56, finishing all 12 in the M60-69 group on a cool, clear Tahoe afternoon.