M80+ Marathon: Ferris Owns the Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Howard Ferris, 80, of Davis, CA — 5:22:47 (12:19/mi avg).
• Uncontested but earned: With no rivals in the M80+ group, Ferris's finish is its own achievement on a wet, 56°F December morning in Sacramento.

Howard Ferris didn't need competition to make his mark at the 2022 California International Marathon — he simply needed to finish, and finish he did. The 80-year-old Davis resident crossed the line in 5:22:47, averaging 12:19 per mile across the full 26.2 in light rain and a 7 mph wind. As the only entrant in the M80+ group, he is both first and champion by default, though the conditions demanded every bit of that effort regardless.

The race-within-the-race for Ferris was his own progression through the broader men's field. He ran the early miles steady, sitting around 4,361st among men at the first checkpoint, and gradually drifted back through the middle stretch — a natural pattern for a competitor managing effort over 26 miles in the rain. He bottomed out near 4,467th among men before reeling in runners over the final kilometers, climbing back to 4,370th by the finish line. That late-race recovery — passing nearly 100 men in the closing stretch — speaks to a well-judged second half.

At 80 years old, simply toeing the line at a major marathon is a statement. Completing it in under five and a half hours, in the wet and wind, makes it something more. Howard Ferris is the M80+ champion at CIM 2022 — the only one, and the right one.