M75-79: McCullough Dominates as Four Septuagenarians Conquer CIM

• Jimmy McCullough, 75, won the M75-79 group in 4:34:46 (10:29/mi), finishing nearly 49 minutes clear of the field.
• Tim Hicks, 76, claimed second in 5:23:18, with Don Elliott, 76, third in 5:42:12 — just under 19 minutes separating them.
• Donald Johnston, 75, rounded out the four-man group in 6:48:29, completing the course at 15:35/mi in the wet, humid conditions.
• McCullough was the strongest finisher in the group, climbing steadily through the men's field over the final 2K, moving from outside the top 3,400 men at 40K to 3,187th by the finish.

Four men aged 75 to 76 took on Sacramento's streets on a raw December morning — 56°F, light rain, and 90% humidity — and all four made it to the finish line. That alone is worth noting. But Jimmy McCullough didn't just finish; he raced. Running 10:29 per mile across 26.2 miles, the 75-year-old from Mount Shasta was in a different gear from the moment the gun went off, and his margin of victory — 48 minutes and 32 seconds over second place — tells the story plainly.

What made McCullough's run particularly sharp was how he closed. His gender place in the men's field improved steadily from 40K all the way to the finish, a sign that while others around him were fading in the late miles, he was still moving. His split from 40K to the finish was among the stronger late-race efforts in the field, reflecting a runner who managed his effort well across the full distance.

Tim Hicks, 76, from Altaville, held second place in 5:23:18, running 12:20 per mile through the same wet conditions. Don Elliott, also 76, from Menlo Park, was third in 5:42:12 at 13:03/mi — a gap of roughly 19 minutes between them, though both finished well clear of the fourth spot. Donald Johnston, 75, of Clovis, completed the course in 6:48:29, steady and consistent from gun to tape, his position in the broader men's field barely shifting across the final checkpoints — a testament to an even, measured effort over a very long morning.