Napa Valley Half Marathon M60-64: Schlottman Leads a Sharp Front Pack Through the Valley

• Keith Schlottman (Flagstaff, AZ) took the M60-64 title in 1:36:15 at a 7:21/mi clip — the fastest pace in the group by a clear margin.
• Jim Weeks pressed him hardest, finishing 2nd in 1:37:46 — just 91 seconds back after running a 7:27/mi average.
• Keith Hedlund claimed 3rd in 1:40:54, surging from 275th to 222nd among men in the back half to earn his podium spot.
• Bill Pollock (4th→5th) and Michael George (5th→4th) swapped positions in the men's field across segments before Pollock finished 5th in 1:43:38, just 30 seconds behind George's 1:43:08.

Thirty-five men lined up in the M60-64 field on a cool, breezy Napa morning — 47°F, a 12 mph wind, and 79% humidity making for honest racing conditions. Keith Schlottman of Flagstaff set the tone early and never let up, holding a 7:21/mi average through the finish line at 1:36:15. He drifted back slightly in the men's field between miles 3.1 and 6.9 — sliding from 151st to 171st among men — but that's the nature of a deep open field, not a sign of fading. Within M60-64, he was never seriously threatened.

Jim Weeks (Portland, OR) was the closest pursuer, crossing in 1:37:46 at 7:27/mi. The gap to Schlottman was 91 seconds — real daylight, but Weeks never let it widen dramatically. Keith Hedlund of Salinas, CA made the most compelling move of the race: running the 171st-fastest men's split from 6.9 miles to the finish, he climbed from 275th to 222nd among men over that closing stretch to lock up 3rd in 1:40:54. That's a genuine finish-line surge worth noting.

The battle for 4th and 5th played out between local Napa runner Michael George (1:43:08, 7:52/mi) and Sonoma's Bill Pollock (1:43:38, 7:54/mi). Pollock actually moved up in the men's field during the middle segment — from 297th to 289th — while George slipped slightly, and that dynamic continued to the line, where just 30 seconds separated them. Henry Su (6th, 1:49:26) and Michael Walden (7th, 1:51:12) rounded out a strong top seven, all finishing under 1:52.