Masters Men 10K: Bains Dominates in Huntsville's December Heat

• David Bains wins the Masters Men 10K in 39:51 (6:25/mi), more than 27 seconds clear of runner-up Oscar Martinez (40:18, 6:29/mi).
• Drew Bell, 58, claims 3rd in 45:26 — the top finisher among the older half of the field, nearly a minute ahead of 4th-place Christopher Braun (46:32).
• Five men separated by just 10 seconds in places 5 through 9, from David Varney's 46:59 to Dink Taylor's 47:29 — the tightest cluster of the afternoon.
• Marty Evans, 67, finishes 18th in 53:48, one of the oldest men on the course and still running 8:39/mi on a warm, windy December day.

Huntsville's unseasonable December warmth — 70°F, 76% humidity, and a 17 mph wind — made this a grind from the gun, and David Bains turned it into a showcase. The Huntsville local ran 6:25/mi to clock 39:51, winning the Masters Men field outright and putting 27 seconds between himself and Knoxville's Oscar Martinez (40:18, 6:29/mi). Those two were in a race of their own; third place Drew Bell came home in 45:26, a full five minutes back.

Bell's 7:19/mi at age 58 is one of the quiet standout performances of the day. He held off Christopher Braun (46:32, 7:29/mi) by more than a minute, with Braun arriving from St. Louis having also raced the event's 5K — finishing 5th among the men there — making his 4th-place Masters 10K finish a genuine double effort worth noting.

The race's most entertaining stretch was the battle for 5th through 9th. David Varney and Roger Cruz both crossed in 46:59 at 7:34/mi, with Scott Sandlin (47:02) and Hiroshi Noda (47:06) right on their heels, and Dink Taylor closing the group at 47:29. All five within 30 seconds. Sandlin adds a footnote of his own: he ran this same race in 2022, finishing 5th among the men in 43:24 — a reminder of how much the conditions can shape a day.

Josh Cauthon (49:23, 11th) and Jason Worley (49:50, 12th) each pulled double duty as well, both placing in the men's 5K before lining up here. Jeronimo Nisa, 59, rounded out the top 13 in 49:57, and Marty Evans, 67, delivered a composed 53:48 to finish 18th in a 65-man field that tested everyone in the Alabama heat.