M60-64 Half Marathon: Tod Smith edges Danilo Purlia in a tight finish at Napa

• Tod Smith wins in 1:38:21 (7:30/mi), holding off Danilo Purlia by just 11 seconds at the line.
• Purlia surged late: he posted the 135th-fastest men's split from 6.9M to the finish, helping him close the gap — but Smith had enough of a cushion to hold on.
• Anthony Lopez led the men's field early but faded across the back half, finishing 3rd in 1:39:32 — 1:11 behind Smith.
• 34 finishers completed the M60-64 race, with the top three all breaking 1:40 in cold, wet conditions (40°F, light rain).

Tod Smith of Paradise Valley, AZ, took the M60-64 title at the 2024 Napa Valley Half Marathon in 1:38:21 — a 7:30/mi clip through cold, drizzly Napa Valley morning air. He didn't have it easy. Smith moved up steadily through the men's field in the first half, climbing from 185th to 151st among men by the 3.1-mile mark, then held his ground to the finish. It was a controlled, disciplined run that earned him the win.

Right behind him, Danilo Purlia of Danville, CA, made things interesting. Purlia was still 175th among men at the midpoint, but his 135th-fastest men's split over the final stretch from 6.9 miles to the finish tells the story: he was running people down. He crossed in 1:38:32 — 11 seconds back — to take 2nd at 7:31/mi. A genuine catch-up effort that came tantalizingly close.

Anthony Lopez of Morgan Hill, CA, ran the opposite race. He was flying early — 127th among men through the opening 3.1 miles — but his 158th-fastest men's split on the middle segment signals a fade, and he slipped to 169th among men by the finish. He still claimed 3rd in 1:39:32 (7:36/mi), and breaking 1:40 at age 62 in the rain is no small feat. Gary Deacon (4th, 1:42:14) and Michael George (5th, 1:43:26) rounded out a tight top five, with just five minutes separating Smith's winning time from George's finish.