M65-69: Vetter Dominates While a Tight Pack Battles Behind

• Douglas Vetter, 26:32 — wins M65-69 by a massive 10-minute margin, running 8:32/mi in damp, windy San Francisco conditions.
• In Tai Shim (36:34) and Vipin Seth (36:56) — just 22 seconds separated 2nd from 3rd in a tight battle for the podium's lower steps.
• Qiang Dong (38:55) and Rony Cifuentes (39:16) — another close duel for 4th and 5th, separated by only 21 seconds.
• Scott Leiker, 58:59 — the field's oldest finisher at 69, completing the course in 15th to close out a 15-man field.

Douglas Vetter, 67, from Jackson, MS, turned the M65-69 race into a solo time trial. His 8:32/mi average was in a class of its own — more than three full minutes per mile faster than the next finisher. On a chilly, humid San Francisco morning with a stiff 14 mph wind off the bay, Vetter crossed in 26:32, leaving no doubt about who owned this race from the front.

Behind him, the real drama unfolded in a tight cluster. San Francisco local In Tai Shim held off Sunnyvale's Vipin Seth by just 22 seconds — 36:34 to 36:56 — for the runner-up spot. Then Qiang Dong of San Bruno and Rony Cifuentes of San Mateo staged their own private duel for 4th and 5th, finishing 38:55 and 39:16 respectively. Toronto's Thomas Gutenburg rounded out the top six in 41:20.

The back half of the field spread across a wide range of finishing times. Jose Guadalupe Flores Suarez (7th, 45:11) and Jauher Zaidi (8th, 45:34) were separated by just 23 seconds, while Willie Moncree (9th, 47:49), Xiuwei Wu (10th, 47:59), and Bret Husted (11th, 48:02) arrived in a tight three-man cluster within just 13 seconds of one another. Sharadchand Zabak finished 12th in 49:11 and Jose Lorenzo 13th in 50:22.

Edward Sapigao (14th, 57:40) and Scott Leiker (15th, 58:59) brought the full 15-man field home, with Leiker — the oldest competitor in the group at 69 — finishing in under an hour on a demanding San Francisco course. Every finisher earned it on a day that tested lungs and legs alike.