Fort Ord 25K M70-79: Brew Takes the Win in a Battle of Pacific Grove

• Pat Brew (70) wins the M70-79 group in 3:10:47 (12:17/mi), the only finisher to break 3:15.
• Razor-thin battle for 2nd: Mark Denny (3:17:31) and Skip Latham (3:17:32) finished just one second apart — Latham actually ran the faster Toro Creek→Finish split (49th vs. 54th-fastest among women), catching up in the closing miles, but Denny held on by the slimmest of margins.
• Mitsugu Mori rounds out the top four in 3:23:39, nearly six minutes back of Latham.
• Seven men aged 70–79 finished a 25K through Fort Ord's trails on a cool, humid February morning — the last finisher, Daniel Priano, crossing in 5:53:43.

Pat Brew, at 70 the youngest man in the group, set the pace from the gun and never relinquished the lead. His 12:17/mi average was a clear step ahead of the field, and his Toro Creek→Finish split — 50th-fastest among women — showed he was still moving well when others were beginning to feel the miles. He finished nearly seven minutes clear of the next man, which in a field this competitive is a decisive margin.

Behind him, the race for 2nd was a genuine thriller. Mark Denny and Skip Latham, both from the Monterey area, were locked together through the middle stages. Latham actually ran the faster closing leg — his Toro Creek→Finish split ranked 49th among women compared to Denny's 54th — meaning he was the one making up time. But Denny had just enough of a cushion built earlier: the gap at the line was a single second, 3:17:31 to 3:17:32. Denny holds 2nd by a whisker.

Mitsugu Mori ran a measured race at 13:07/mi to finish 4th in 3:23:39, while Don Rickels (3:57:47) and Michael Davis (4:30:50) completed the top six. Daniel Priano brought it home in 5:53:43 — a 22:46/mi pace across 25K of Fort Ord trails at age 74 is no small thing on a damp, overcast morning like this one.