M65-69: Marty Evans Edges Out a Hard-Fought Victory in Huntsville

• Closest finish of the group: Evans (7:53:17) held off Bentley (7:54:40) by just 1 minute and 23 seconds across 10 kilometers.
• A tight top two: Evans averaged 76:10/mi to Bentley's 76:23/mi — separated by only 13 seconds per mile over the full distance.
• A clear gap to third: Richard Moore finished in 8:12:19, more than 18 minutes behind Evans and nearly 20 minutes clear of fourth.
• Four finishers completed the M65-69 field under warm, humid December conditions — 60°F and 85% humidity made for a challenging morning.

Marty Evans of Muscle Shoals took the M65-69 title in 7:53:17, but he had to earn every second of it. Dean Bentley of New Market pushed him the entire way, crossing in 7:54:40 — just 83 seconds back. At a pace of 76:10/mi versus Bentley's 76:23/mi, the two men were essentially running in lockstep, and the outcome could easily have gone the other way.

Richard Moore of Winchester, Tennessee, claimed third in 8:12:19, running a solid 79:14/mi and finishing comfortably clear of the rest of the field. Behind him, Huntsville's own George Prude rounded out the group in 8:31:58, averaging 82:24/mi — a respectable effort to close out the M65-69 field on a humid, overcast December morning.

With only four men in the age group, every place mattered, and the race delivered a genuinely competitive finish at the front. Evans gets the win, but Bentley gave him no room to relax.