Santa Rosa 10K: Andy Spratley Runs Away from the M50-59 Field

• Andy Spratley, 59, wins in 43:23 — a 6:59/mi pace that put nearly two and a half minutes between him and the rest of the M50-59 field.
• Closest battle on the day: Geoffrey Wisbrock (2nd, 45:31) and Eric Gibbs (3rd, 45:42) were separated by just 11 seconds after 6.2 miles of racing.
• Local flavor: Seven of the top 20 finishers called Santa Rosa home, racing in their own backyard on a cool, misty morning.
• 38 men completed the M50-59 race, with the top 20 spread across a 17-minute window from Spratley's 43:23 to Randy Nguyen's 1:01:01.

The story of the M50-59 race was Andy Spratley, and it wasn't close. The 59-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi came to Santa Rosa and ran a 6:59/mi pace through the mist, finishing in 43:23 — a gap of 2:08 over the runner who came next. That margin, built over just 6.2 miles, speaks to how decisively Spratley controlled the race from the front.

Behind him, the battle for second was genuinely tight. Geoffrey Wisbrock of Healdsburg ran 45:31 at 7:20/mi, and Eric Gibbs of Petaluma crossed in 45:42 at 7:21/mi — 11 seconds the difference between silver and bronze. Roman Johnston claimed 4th in 47:48, leaving a gap of more than two minutes back to Brent Mitten in 5th (49:25), where the pace shifted noticeably from the sub-7:50 front pack into the 8:00/mi range.

The middle of the field told its own story of steady, grinding effort in humid conditions — 60°F and 91% humidity is no gift on race morning. Robert Ramsey (6th, 49:54), Gregory Morre (7th, 50:50), and Greg Fitch (8th, 51:26) all finished within 36 seconds of each other, while the 9th through 13th finishers clustered between 52:00 and 54:54. Marc Bautista and David Cuneo both clocked 58:12 and 58:15 respectively to take 16th and 17th — a three-second gap after more than nine minutes per mile. With 18 more finishers beyond the listed 20, the M50-59 field at Santa Rosa proved deep, determined, and well-represented on home soil.