M60-69 Ultra 100K: Ramirez Runs Away With It at Tahoe Rim

• Joselio Ramirez won the M60-69 field in 17:09:34 (16:34/mi), finishing more than 32 minutes clear of runner-up Raymond Hurley.
• Chun Qian posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the Hobart 2→Snow Valley Peak 2 segment in the entire field — the standout single-segment performance among the M60-69 finishers.
• The field spanned nearly six hours from first to last, with Keith Pronske rounding out the ten finishers in 23:08:46.
• Mark Lowder (Chanhassen, MN) was the only finisher from outside Nevada or California, completing the course in 18:07:02 for 3rd.

Joselio Ramirez of Minden, NV, put together the most controlled race in the M60-69 field. He crossed in 17:09:34 at a 16:34/mi average — a demanding pace across a course that climbs to over 9,000 feet, where thinner air can quietly erode effort even on relatively mild weather days like this one (61°F, light wind). His gender-place tracking tells a story of gradual settling: he moved from 47th among the women early on to 66th by the finish, meaning the women's field was slowly reeling him in over the back half — but never enough to threaten his dominant M60-69 standing.

Raymond Hurley (Dayton, NV) came home 2nd in 17:42:10, holding a remarkably steady line through the race — his gender place barely budged from the 70s across the middle checkpoints, a sign of consistent pacing. Mark Lowder (Chanhassen, MN) was 3rd in 18:07:02, closing the gap to Hurley by 25 minutes over the final stretch with a strong finish on the Bull Wheel→Diamond Peak segment.

The most dramatic mid-race move belonged to Chun Qian (Los Angeles, CA), who looked to be fading badly — sliding from 96th among the women all the way back to 158th by mid-race. Then came a stunning reversal: his 2nd-fastest women's split on Hobart 2→Snow Valley Peak 2 rocketed him back to 93rd among the women by the finish, and he secured 4th in 18:42:31. David Cox (Foster City, CA) ran a steadier but slower race to 5th in 19:54:54, followed by Jeff Jones in 6th at 20:11:45.

Bruce Ames (68, Novato, CA) was the eldest finisher in the group, crossing in 21:21:55 for 7th. Donald Hanson, Tim Phelan, and Keith Pronske — all within about 16 minutes of each other — battled through the final hours to finish 8th through 10th in 22:52:22, 23:01:17, and 23:08:46 respectively, completing a full ten-man M60-69 field at one of trail running's most demanding high-altitude courses.