Napa Valley 5K: Mitchell leads a field of 76-year-olds through the rain

• Wayne Mitchell won the M75-79 race in 35:23 (11:23/mi), nearly six minutes clear of the field.
• Pat Muleady held second in 41:21 (13:19/mi), with a comfortable cushion over third.
• Arthur Ruda crossed in 49:38 (15:59/mi), and Charles Savinar — the field's youngest at 75 — rounded out the four finishers in 54:49 (17:39/mi).
• All four men finished a 5K in 41°F, light rain, on a March morning in Napa — a fact worth noting on its own.

Wayne Mitchell made it look straightforward. Running 11:23 per mile, he finished in 35:23 and never let the outcome feel in doubt, crossing nearly six minutes ahead of second place. In a four-man field where three of the four finishers are 76 years old — the same age — the gap between Mitchell and Muleady (5:58) is the defining number of the race.

Pat Muleady came in second at 41:21, running 13:19 per mile — a noticeably different pace from Mitchell's, but a solid effort that kept him well clear of third. Arthur Ruda finished third in 49:38 at 15:59 per mile, more than eight minutes behind Muleady. Charles Savinar, the one finisher who hasn't yet reached 76, closed out the M75-79 field in 54:49 — a 17:39-per-mile effort that brought him home just over five minutes behind Ruda.

What stands out beyond the times is the sheer fact of the field: four men, three of them 76, one of them 75, running a 5K in a cold, wet, early-March morning in Napa. Mitchell won it cleanly, but every finisher here earned their result.