M55-59 at CIM 2024: Martindale runs away with it

• Joel Martindale (57, Boise) won the M55-59 group in 2:45:05 (6:18/mi), finishing more than 3:40 clear of runner-up James Scanlan.
• James Scanlan (55, San Francisco) ran 2:48:45 to take 2nd; Jorn T. Jensen (55, Morgan Hill) claimed 3rd in 2:52:38 — a podium separated by just over 7:30 from top to bottom.
• 4th and 5th were decided by the narrowest margin of the day: Shihui Mang (2:54:57) and John Hill (2:55:04) were just 7 seconds apart after 26.2 miles.
• The M55-59 field numbered 266 finishers on a cool, calm Sacramento morning — near-ideal marathon conditions at 59°F with a 3 mph breeze.

---

Joel Martindale made the M55-59 race look almost straightforward. The 57-year-old from Boise clicked through the miles at 6:18/mi and kept getting stronger relative to the field — his position among men climbed from 476th at 5K all the way to 390th by 35K, a clear sign he was reeling people in across the back half. By the finish, his 2:45:05 stood 3:40 clear of the next man in the age group, a margin that speaks for itself.

James Scanlan went out with genuine ambition. The San Francisco 55-year-old was running among the top 383 men through the first 5K, but the pace asked a price — he drifted steadily through the field from that point on, slipping to around 508th among men by the finish. He still crossed in 2:48:45, good enough for a comfortable 2nd, and Jorn T. Jensen (also 55, Morgan Hill) rounded out the podium in 2:52:38, holding a steadier if gradually fading line through the second half.

The most gripping subplot played out just off the podium. Shihui Mang of Plano and Pleasant Hill's John Hill were locked together for much of the race, and both were actually moving up through the men's field in the final 10K — Mang climbing from 765th to 743rd, Hill from 750th to 748th. After 26.2 miles, just seven seconds separated them, with Mang taking 4th in 2:54:57 and Hill 5th in 2:55:04. From 6th through 8th, Stan Gibson (2:58:28), David Keller (2:59:43), and Sam Choukri (2:59:48) all came home within 80 seconds of each other, making for a densely packed mid-table chase on a day when the conditions gave everyone a fair shot.