Long Beach Half Marathon M70-74: Montgomery Breaks Two Hours to Lead the Way

• Robert Montgomery (73, Upland) won in 1:58:53 — a 9:04/mi average — the only finisher in the M70-74 field to crack two hours.
• Joel Kizner pushed him hard, finishing 2nd in 2:00:11 (9:10/mi) — just 1:18 back, with a strong closing half that nearly closed the gap.
• Charles Springer faded in the back half, slipping from an early men's position around 1,760th to 2,200th by the finish, while Jesus Hernandez held steadier to claim 3rd in 2:07:12.
• Nathan Aguayo (5th, 2:13:18) ran the strongest closing segment among the top five, posting the fastest 10.8M-to-finish split of that group to move up from a deeper men's position.

Robert Montgomery came to Long Beach and did what only he managed among 30 M70-74 finishers: finish in under two hours. The 73-year-old from Upland ran a disciplined 9:04/mi, and his men's position climbed steadily across the race — from around 2,070th at the first checkpoint to 1,563rd by the tape — a sign of a runner who got stronger as others faded. That closing surge was the real story, with his 10.8M-to-finish split ranking among the better late-race efforts in the broader field.

Joel Kizner (70, Lakewood) gave him the closest thing to a chase this field could offer, finishing 2nd in 2:00:11. Kizner ran a solid second half — his closing-leg split was notably quicker than his early pace — but at 9:10/mi he couldn't quite reel in Montgomery's 1:18 cushion. Jesus Hernandez (73, South Gate) and Charles Springer (70, Whittier) both finished in the 2:07s, but they got there differently: Hernandez was consistent, while Springer ran the early miles faster and paid for it, sliding steadily backward through the men's standings across all three checkpoints.

Nathan Aguayo (70, Long Beach) rounded out the top five in 2:13:18, and his 10:10/mi average masks a strong finish — his 10.8M-to-finish split was among the fastest in the top group. Behind him, Ramiro Viramontes (6th, 2:19:14) and Mark Parcher (7th, 2:21:51) completed a top seven spread across roughly 23 minutes, before the field stretched further back through Bill Seeger and Dennis Buchanan — both finishing within seven seconds of each other at 2:32:37 and 2:32:44 — and on out to the final 10 finishers not individually listed.