Broken Arrow 23K M70-79: Mcnaughton Owns the Mountain

• Sole finisher: Dave Mcnaughton, 73, crossed in 6:02:44 — the only man to complete the M70-79 field at the 2025 Broken Arrow 23K.
• Finishing pace: 25:23/mi average across a course stretching from 6,206 to 8,834 feet — terrain that demands respect at any age.
• Late push: Mcnaughton gained ground among men in the final stretch, moving from 358th to 356th among men between the High Camp checkpoint and the finish.
• Strong close: His High Camp→Finish split ranked 351st among women — a competitive benchmark on the final leg.

Dave Mcnaughton, 73, of Defiance, MO, was the M70-79 field at the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K — and he finished it. On a course that climbs through thin Sierra Nevada air between 6,206 and 8,834 feet, completing 23 kilometers of technical mountain terrain is the whole story, and Mcnaughton wrote it in 6:02:44.

What's worth noting is how the race ended for him. After hovering around 357th–358th among men through the middle stages, Mcnaughton actually gained two spots in the men's field on the High Camp→Finish leg, coming home 356th among men. That closing split — 351st-fastest among women on that same segment — shows he wasn't just surviving the descent; he was moving through it with purpose on a cool, calm race day that at least offered favorable conditions underfoot.

At 25:23 per mile, every step on this course earns its keep. The Broken Arrow 23K is not a race that lets anyone coast, and at elevation, where the air thins and legs tire faster, finishing is the benchmark. Mcnaughton cleared it, alone in his field, and did so with a stronger final leg than he ran through the middle of the race. That's a finish worth marking.