Cleveland Marathon 5K — M65-69: Randy Turk Runs Away With It

• Randy Turk (1st, 25:27) won the M65-69 age group by an extraordinary 6 minutes and 48 seconds — averaging 8:11/mi at age 67.
• Tight middle-pack battle: Charles Crowley (2nd, 32:15), Charles Woods (3rd, 32:44), and Robert Wilson (4th, 33:01) were separated by just 46 seconds across three places.
• Rick Oliver and Brendan Mullally finished 5th (33:41) and 6th (33:46) — just five seconds apart after 3.1 miles.
• 16 finishers completed the M65-69 race, ranging from Turk's 8:11/mi to Gerri Venuto's 1:09:43 finish (16th, 22:26/mi).

Randy Turk didn't just win the M65-69 age group — he redefined the field. The 67-year-old from Avon Lake ran 25:27 at an 8:11/mi clip, a pace that would have been competitive in far younger company on a humid Cleveland morning with 15 mph winds and 83% humidity pressing down on the course. His nearest competitor, Charles Crowley of Shaker Heights, crossed in 32:15 — nearly seven minutes back. That's not a race; that's a statement.

Behind Turk, the real competition was a compact, hard-fought cluster. Crowley (2nd, 32:15) led the chase pack, followed closely by fellow Shaker Heights runner Charles Woods (3rd, 32:44) and Brecksville's Robert Wilson (4th, 33:01). Those three covered less than a minute of clock time between them. Just beyond, Rick Oliver (5th, 33:41) and Brendan Mullally (6th, 33:46) staged their own private duel, separated by a mere five seconds after 3.1 miles of racing — two 69- and 68-year-olds pushing each other through the Cleveland humidity.

Gerald Weisbarth claimed 7th in 35:16, followed by Dwight Starks (8th, 37:03), Roger Gunter (9th, 38:32), and Matthew Polito (10th, 39:28) rounding out a steady middle tier. Thomas Stromann (11th, 40:49) and Steven Tucky (12th, 42:30) kept the field tight through the top dozen. Nick Miller (13th, 48:52), Ikwo Umosen (14th, 58:21), Maurice Evans (15th, 1:06:04), and Gerri Venuto (16th, 1:09:43) completed the group — every one of them out on a warm, breezy May morning in Cleveland, finishing what they started.