M55-59: Molony Runs a 7:00 Mile Pace to Take the Title in Napa

• Jim Molony (56, Fair Oaks) wins in 3:03:33 — a 7:00/mi average that put him more than seven minutes clear of the field.
• Philip McNally climbed from deep in the pack — entering the second half ranked 127th among men, he posted the 82nd-fastest men's split from 20M to the finish to lock up 3rd in 3:12:04.
• Bradley Fenner ran the most dramatic charge of the day — starting the race 183rd among men, he reeled off the 115th-fastest men's second-half split to finish 5th in 3:16:33.
• Places 7–9 were decided by seconds: Gary Auten (7th, 3:18:42) and Merrick Musolf (8th, 3:18:43) were separated by a single second, with David Fu (9th, 3:19:09) just 27 seconds further back.

Jim Molony ran away with the M55-59 title on a cool, cloudy Napa morning, crossing in 3:03:33 at a 7:00/mi clip — a pace that left the rest of the 64-man field well behind. His lead was never seriously threatened; after moving between 76th and 82nd among men through the opening miles, he steadied and ticked off the second half to finish 77th among men overall, a composed and controlled effort from wire to wire.

The battle for 2nd through 5th was where the real drama lived. David Plyler (2nd, 3:10:49, 7:17/mi) held his position with a consistent run, posting the 101st-fastest men's split through the 10K-to-half segment to stay ahead of a closing McNally. McNally (3rd, 3:12:04) was the day's great mover — sitting 154th among men at 10K, he steadily worked his way through the field, and his 82nd-fastest men's split over the final 10K-to-finish stretch was the sharpest finishing kick of anyone in the M55-59 group. Luca Fasoli (4th, 3:14:47) and Fenner (5th, 3:16:33) both ran strong second halves, Fenner in particular turning a 183rd men's place at 10K into a 130th at the line — a net gain of more than 50 positions.

Further back, the race offered its own quiet theater. Rune Skuggedal of Kristiansand, Norway, made the longest trip to the start line and placed 6th in 3:18:03. Right behind him, Auten and Musolf staged a near-photo-finish for 7th and 8th — their times of 3:18:42 and 3:18:43 separated by one second after 26.2 miles. Steven Eick (11th, 3:21:18) rounded out the top 11 at 7:41/mi, with the field spreading out through a full 64 finishers across the Napa Valley course.