M75-79: Spector Runs Away With It in Napa

• Eric Spector (age 77) won the M75-79 field in 4:54:07 (11:13/mi), finishing nearly 38 minutes clear of second place.
• Francis Rodriguez (age 75) held second in 5:31:53 (12:39/mi), edging third by just over 8 minutes.
• Bryan Henry (age 75, Angwin, CA) completed the three-man field in 5:39:58 (12:58/mi) — but he was the early mover, posting the 766th-fastest men's split on the 6.2M→13.1M segment before fading through the back half.
• All three men finished the point-to-point Silverado Trail course from Calistoga to Napa.

Three men, three very different races. Eric Spector of Greenbrae set the tone from the gun and never looked back. Running a steady 11:13/mi across 26.2 miles, the 77-year-old moved progressively through the men's field — from 706th at the first checkpoint to 685th by mile 20 — before closing with the 671st-fastest men's split on the final stretch to the finish. That kind of consistent forward momentum, sustained for nearly five hours, is the story of the M75-79 race in full.

Francis Rodriguez of Santa Clara had a workmanlike afternoon. He tracked through the men's field in the 808–819 range for most of the race, posting the 781st-fastest men's split on the 13.1M→20M segment, and crossed in 5:31:53 at 12:39/mi to claim second. Solid, unflinching, and nearly 38 minutes behind the winner — the gap tells you just how dominant Spector was.

Bryan Henry of Angwin offered the most dramatic arc of the three. He was the sharpest early, ranking 639th among men through the first 6.2 miles — well ahead of where he'd end up — and logging the 766th-fastest men's split on the 6.2M→13.1M leg. But the back half told a different story: his men's field position slid from 725th to 777th to 830th as the miles added up, and he finished in 5:39:58 at 12:58/mi. He came home third, about eight minutes behind Rodriguez. A strong start, a tough finish — and still, 26.2 miles completed at 75 years old on a cool March morning in Napa Valley.