Shamrock Marathon M75-79: Scroggins Wins a Battle of Endurance in Virginia Beach

• Sterling Scroggins (Washington, DC) took the M75-79 title in 4:29:47 — a 10:17/mi pace through 71°F heat and 17 mph winds.
• Ron Carpenter (Hudson, MI) was a clear second in 4:49:48, finishing 20 minutes and 1 second behind Scroggins.
• James Miner and William Chadim completed the four-man field, finishing in 6:18:01 and 7:05:45 respectively — a reminder that simply finishing a marathon at 76 and 78 in these conditions is its own achievement.
• Scroggins was the strongest mover in the men's field late in the race, climbing from 806th among men at the start to 660th by the 35K mark.

Four men aged 75–78 toed the line at Shamrock on a demanding morning — 71°F, humid, and breezy — and all four made it to the finish. Sterling Scroggins of Washington, DC led the M75-79 group wire to wire, running a composed 10:17/mi to clock 4:29:47. He was also a consistent mover through the men's field, advancing steadily from 806th among men early on all the way to 660th by 35K before a slight drift back to 672nd at the finish — a sign he ran the middle miles particularly well.

Ron Carpenter of Hudson, MI ran a similarly steady race at 11:03/mi, finishing in 4:49:48 for a clear second place. The gap between first and second — just over 20 minutes — was the most decisive margin in the group, and Carpenter's own progression through the men's field (913th down to 801st) mirrored Scroggins' pattern of measured improvement through the race.

The back half of the field told a different story. James Miner of Dryden, NY and William Chadim of Midlothian, VA — the group's oldest finisher at 78 — both took a longer road to the finish at 6:18:01 and 7:05:45. Chadim in particular held a remarkably consistent position among the men's field from start to finish, barely moving from 1149th throughout. In a race with wind and warmth working against every runner, all four men in M75-79 crossed the line — and that's the real number that matters.