Cleveland Marathon 5K — M60-64: Capron Dominates in the Wind and Humidity

• Jim Capron (1st, 22:58, 7:24/mi) won the M60-64 group by 1 minute and 9 seconds over Bill Robb — a comfortable and commanding margin.
• Bill Robb (2nd, 24:07, 7:46/mi) was the only other finisher to crack 25 minutes in a 28-man field.
• Senthil Sowrirajan (3rd, 29:04) and Arnold Witt (4th, 29:10) were separated by just six seconds after 3.1 miles — the tightest battle of the day.
• Philip Coghlan (5th, 34:31) and the rest of the top ten were well off the front two, with the field spreading across a range of more than 27 minutes from first to 20th.

With 15 mph winds, 83% humidity, and temperatures sitting at a sticky 67°F, race morning in Cleveland was no gift — and the M60-64 group had to earn every step. Jim Capron, 62, of Medina, made it look more manageable than most. His 7:24/mi average was a clear gear above the rest of the field, and his 22:58 finish stood alone at the top of the age group. Bill Robb of Amherst gave chase and ran a solid 24:07 at 7:46/mi, but Capron's advantage was never really in doubt. Those two opened up a gap over the rest of the field that was as decisive as it was early.

Behind them, the race's most compelling moment played out between Senthil Sowrirajan (3rd, 29:04, 9:21/mi) and Arnold Witt (4th, 29:10, 9:23/mi) — two runners from very different zip codes, Brunswick, OH and Toronto, ON, who arrived at the finish line within six seconds of each other. Sowrirajan held on for the final podium spot, but Witt made it close.

From Philip Coghlan's 5th-place 34:31 through Kevin Hrabak's 20th-place 49:09, the M60-64 field spread across a wide range of efforts — 28 men in total taking on the Cleveland streets under challenging conditions. Every one of them finished, and on a morning like this, that's no small thing.