M80-99: Valenzuela leads a trio of legends through Napa's morning chill

• Fred Valenzuela, 80, wins in 40:44 — a 13:07/mi clip that put six minutes of clear air between him and the field.
• Richard Helzberg, 82, finished 2nd in 46:49, running 15:04/mi to claim the runner-up spot comfortably.
• Darryl Beardall, 86, completed the course in 1:06:22 — the oldest finisher in the M80-99 field, crossing in 21:22/mi pace.
• Three finishers, three men over 80, all of them out in 42°F temperatures and a 7 mph wind. That alone is the headline.

Fred Valenzuela made the M80-99 race his own from the jump. The 80-year-old Napa local posted a 40:44 finish at 13:07 per mile — a purposeful, controlled effort that opened a 6:05 gap over Richard Helzberg by the time it was over. At 80, running a sub-41-minute 5K on a cool, breezy March morning is no small thing, and Valenzuela delivered it cleanly.

Helzberg, a year Valenzuela's senior at 82, took 2nd in 46:49. His 15:04/mi pace was notably slower than the winner's but put him well clear of the field's third finisher. At 82, a sub-47 5K holds its own weight, and Helzberg claimed the runner-up spot without drama.

The story of the day, though, may belong to Darryl Beardall of Santa Rosa. At 86 — the eldest of the three — Beardall finished in 1:06:22, covering the course at 21:22/mi. The gap to Helzberg was substantial, but the finish line is the finish line, and Beardall crossed it. Three men, the youngest of them 80, the oldest 86, all lining up on a cold Napa morning and seeing it through to the end. That's the M80-99 race in full.