M70-74: Tom Cali Runs Away With It at CIM

• Tom Cali won the M70-74 group in 3:32:58 (8:07/mi), finishing nearly 7 minutes clear of runner-up Michael Whalen.
• Positions 3 and 4 were separated by just 19 seconds — Steve Yee (3:44:29) edging Jim Howard (3:44:48) for the final podium spot.
• Cali was the only man in the group to break 3:40; the gap from 1st to 5th stretched to 23 minutes.
• All 26 men finished a full marathon on a mild Sacramento December morning — 59°F, barely a breeze.

Tom Cali, 70, from Pasadena, owned this race from start to finish. His 8:07/mi average held remarkably steady, and his moves through the men's field tell the story of a controlled, confident performance: after a slight drift back around the halfway mark, he reeled off a strong 35K–40K segment that pulled him back up through the pack. By the finish he had put 6:50 on Michael Whalen, who ran a solid 3:39:48 at 8:23/mi but never had an answer for Cali's late-race momentum.

Whalen's own second half was quietly impressive — his position in the men's field barely budged over the final 7K, a sign of even-paced discipline. Behind him, the battle for third was the tensest moment of the day in the M70-74 group. Sacramento's Steve Yee (3:44:29) and Jim Howard of Applegate (3:44:48) ran nearly identical races across 26.2 miles, separated at the tape by just 19 seconds. Yee had been the stronger presence early — posting a fast 5K–10K split — while Howard ran a steadier, if slightly fading, line through the back half.

David Howse rounded out the top five in 3:55:55, a full 11 minutes behind Howard, marking a clear break between the podium contenders and the rest of the field. From 6th place onward, Scott Perrault (4:01:05) through the back of the group, times ranged widely, reflecting the full spectrum of what 26.2 miles demands of athletes in their seventies. Every finisher on the list earned it.