Masters Men 10K: Bains edges out a three-way thriller at Rocket City

• David Bains wins in 74:08/mi avg, holding off Paul Escajadillo (2nd, 74:10/mi avg) by just 12 seconds across 10K.
• Jonathan Kline completes the near-sweep, finishing 3rd just 18 seconds behind Bains — the top three separated by less than half a minute in a 68-man field.
• William Angotta, 63, takes 5th in 75:07/mi avg, edging Drew Bell (6th, 57) by a single second — one of the tightest age-gap battles on the day.
• Paul Escajadillo doubled up at Rocket City, having already claimed 2nd in the Men's 5K before returning to go toe-to-toe for the Masters Men 10K title.

David Bains of Brownsboro, AL claimed the Masters Men title at the 2022 Rocket City Marathon 10K, crossing in a 74:08/mi average — but he had to earn every second of it. Paul Escajadillo of Minneapolis pushed him the entire way, finishing 12 seconds back at 74:10/mi avg. What makes Escajadillo's effort even more remarkable is that he'd already raced here this weekend, finishing 2nd in the Men's 5K — and he came back to nearly steal the 10K title as well. That kind of back-to-back performance across two races deserves its own spotlight.

Jonathan Kline, running on home turf in Huntsville, slotted in just six seconds behind Escajadillo for 3rd place at 74:10/mi avg — also carrying a 5K result into this race, having finished 7th in the Men's 5K earlier. The top three were clustered in an 18-second window, with Scott Sandlin (4th, 74:43/mi avg) the first man unable to crack that lead pack, finishing 3:23 off Bains' pace.

The Masters Men field delivered some of its best drama further down the leaderboard too. William Angotta, 63 years old, ran a 75:07/mi avg to take 5th — and Drew Bell, 57, matched that pace almost exactly, finishing just one second behind in 6th. Marty Evans, 66, kept rolling in 15th at 76:10/mi avg, a reminder that the Masters Men field at Rocket City spans generations and doesn't slow down easily. With 68 finishers in a warm, humid December morning in Huntsville, this was a deep and competitive group from top to bottom.