M65-69: Terry Baucom Runs Away with the Shamrock'n Half

• Terry Baucom, 69, wins in 1:34:25 (7:12/mi) — nearly nine minutes clear of the rest of the M65-69 field.
• Steve Ashe takes 2nd in 1:43:22 (7:53/mi); Pip Smith edges Jose Barragan for 3rd — 1:46:32 to 1:47:23, just 51 seconds apart.
• Pip Smith and Jose Barragan both made up ground in the back half, with Smith posting the 355th-fastest split in the field from Mile 11 to the finish and Barragan close behind at 285th on that same closing stretch.
• 28 finishers completed the M65-69 race, spread across a window of over an hour from first to last listed.

Terry Baucom, the oldest man on the podium at 69, was simply in a different race. His 7:12/mi average held through 13.1 miles on a clear, cool Sacramento morning — a pace that kept him moving through the men's field and never truly threatened after the early miles. He crossed in 1:34:25, a margin of nearly nine minutes over his nearest M65-69 rival. That kind of gap doesn't just happen — it's built mile by mile, and Baucom built it steadily.

Behind him, Steve Ashe (65, Sacramento) claimed 2nd in 1:43:22 at 7:53/mi, running a composed and consistent race through the middle miles. Then came the most compelling battle of the age group: Pip Smith of Folsom and Jose Barragan of Bella Vista, both 69, trading positions through the second half. Smith's stronger finish from Mile 11 onward — a faster closing split in the broader field — was enough to hold 3rd in 1:46:32, with Barragan finishing 4th just 51 seconds back at 1:47:23.

Doug Dierlam (65, Sacramento) rounded out the top five in 1:54:44 (8:45/mi), showing solid mid-race movement before fading slightly in the later miles. William Farran (6th, 2:00:21), James O'Gara (7th, 2:05:18), and Ross Siragusa (8th, 2:06:29) filled out a competitive middle pack, all finishing within about six minutes of each other. With 28 men aged 65–69 toeing the line on a 55°F morning in West Sacramento, this group proved the age group has plenty of fight left in it.