M60-64: Krovoza Runs Away with It on the Parkway

• Joseph Krovoza won the M60-64 group in 2:57:36 (8:53/mi) — the only finisher to break three hours in a field of 14.
• Runner-up Jim Kepfer finished in 3:05:20, a gap of 7:44 behind Krovoza — the widest margin between any two adjacent podium spots.
• Matt Wagner (3:22:09) and David Panec (3:22:16) finished 6th and 7th separated by just 7 seconds across 20 miles.
• The field spanned 1:12:25 from first to last, with Arnie Cabiles completing the course in 4:10:01 (12:30/mi).

Joseph Krovoza, 62, of Davis, made a statement early and kept it going. His moves tell the story: he entered the men's field around 151st, dipped back slightly to 153rd, then steadily climbed — 146th, 146th, and finally 137th by the finish — passing runners throughout the second half of the race. At 8:53/mi for 20 miles in 74°F heat, his sub-three-hour finish was the clear headline of the M60-64 group and a genuine benchmark against the broader field.

Jim Kepfer of Auburn ran a composed 9:16/mi to claim second in 3:05:20, mirroring Krovoza's pattern of moving through the men's field in the back half — climbing from 189th to 166th. Ray Yamamoto of Roseville took third in 3:10:40 (9:32/mi), finishing with a notably quicker Mile 15.6→16 segment. The podium was settled with breathing room: Krovoza, Kepfer, and Yamamoto finished 7:44, 5:20, and 4:14 apart respectively, with no late drama at the front.

The mid-pack told a different story. Danny Gerwer (4th, 3:14:54) and Jaybal Nadar (5th, 3:15:15) were separated by just 21 seconds at the line, both running the 9:45–9:46/mi range — but their trajectories diverged. Gerwer faded from 181st in the men's field to 193rd, while Nadar dropped even further, from 167th to 194th, suggesting the warm conditions took a toll on both in the final miles. Then came the tightest battle of the day: Wagner (6th, 3:22:09) and Panec (7th, 3:22:16) — both from Placerville — ran virtually the same race for 20 miles, separated by a mere 7 seconds. Scott Depeel (9th, 3:30:11) edged Ramon Jaime (8th, 3:29:33) by under a minute, rounding out a competitive middle tier before the field spread out toward Arnie Cabiles' determined 4:10:01 finish.