M70-74 Half Marathon: Brickley Dominates San Francisco's Hills at 73

• Paul Brickley won the M70-74 race in 1:48:54 (8:18/mi), finishing nearly 40 minutes clear of the field.
• Alan Gjedsted claimed 2nd in 2:28:34 (11:20/mi), holding off Bill Hing by 6:43.
• Bill Hing rounded out the three-man field in 2:35:17 (11:51/mi).
• Brickley was a strong finisher, climbing from 489th to 387th among men across the race's closing miles.

Just three men lined up in the M70-74 field on a cool, humid San Francisco morning — 60°F with overcast skies and 86% humidity — but Paul Brickley made the result look emphatic. The 73-year-old San Francisco local crossed in 1:48:54 at an 8:18/mi clip, nearly 40 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. That kind of margin in a three-man field isn't a race — it's a statement.

What made Brickley's run particularly striking was how he moved through the broader men's field as the miles wore on. He entered the final stretch sitting 410th among men and finished 387th, steadily picking off runners on the back half of the course. His split from 10.9 miles to the finish ranked 326th among women — a useful benchmark that underscores just how much gas he had left when others were fading on San Francisco's punishing terrain.

Behind him, 74-year-old Alan Gjedsted took 2nd in 2:28:34 (11:20/mi) in what became a quiet battle of attrition. Gjedsted moved through the field on the final segment, climbing from 1,331st to a stronger finish among men, but his mid-race split from 5 miles to 10.9 miles — 1,267th-fastest among women at that segment — showed where the course took its toll. Bill Hing, also 74 and also a San Francisco local, finished 3rd in 2:35:17 (11:51/mi), 6:43 back of Gjedsted.

Three San Francisco men, three very different afternoons on the same roads. Brickley set the pace that mattered.