M75-79: Schoenfeld Dominates Kaua'i's Heat in a Four-Man Battle

• Michael Schoenfeld, 76, wins the M75-79 group in 3:12:24 (14:41/mi), finishing 28:26 ahead of the runner-up.
• Terry Taylor, 75, claimed 2nd in 3:40:50, edging Joe Loschiavo, 78, who finished 3rd in 3:46:05 — a gap of just 5:15 between them.
• Charles Curran, 75, rounded out the four-man group in 4:01:19, finishing 15:14 behind Loschiavo.
• The full M75-79 field covered 13.1 miles in 77°F humidity on Kaua'i's coastal roads — no small feat at any pace.

Four men in the 75-to-79 age group toed the line at Poipu and all four crossed it — a complete field by any measure. Michael Schoenfeld of nearby Koloa set the tone from the start, steadily climbing the men's standings through each checkpoint and ultimately winning the group by a commanding 28-plus minutes. His 14:41/mi average across 13.1 miles in warm, humid conditions was the benchmark the rest of the field was chasing.

Behind Schoenfeld, the real drama belonged to the battle for 2nd and 3rd. Terry Taylor of Kalaheo held a clear advantage over Joe Loschiavo through the middle miles, and while Loschiavo — the oldest in the group at 78 — ran a stronger final stretch from 11.05 miles to the finish, Taylor's earlier cushion proved sufficient. Taylor crossed in 3:40:50 to Loschiavo's 3:46:05, a 5:15 margin that Loschiavo's late charge couldn't fully close.

Charles Curran, 75, making the trip from Sacramento, finished 4th in 4:01:19 at an 18:25/mi pace. He held a steady position through the back half of the race, and his sub-4:02 finish on a warm Kaua'i morning is a number worth owning. All four men finished — and at 75 to 78 years old, running a half marathon in August humidity on the Garden Isle, that's the headline that matters most.