San Francisco Marathon 10K — M70-74: Richardson edges Brickley in a three-second thriller

• Jeffery Richardson, 74, wins M70-74 in 1:01:26 (9:53/mi) — the narrowest of margins over his nearest rival.
• Gary Brickley finishes 2nd in 1:01:29 — just three seconds back after 6.2 miles of racing.
• Krish Krishnamurthy claims 3rd in 1:09:26, nearly eight minutes clear of 4th place.
• Places 4th and 5th — Eric Kan (1:19:02) and Dennis Digman (1:19:12) — are separated by just ten seconds.

Seven men lined up for the M70-74 race on a cool, overcast San Francisco morning — 64°F with a steady breeze off the bay — and the finish line produced one of the tightest results of the day. Jeffery Richardson of Livermore, running at 9:53/mi, crossed in 1:01:26 to claim the win. Right on his heels was San Francisco's own Gary Brickley, who matched him stride for stride at 9:54/mi and finished in 1:01:29. Three seconds after 6.2 miles: that is a race decided by the finest of margins, with Richardson, at 74, holding off the 70-year-old Brickley by the slimmest thread.

Krish Krishnamurthy of Irvine rounded out the podium in 3rd, finishing in 1:09:26 at an 11:10/mi pace — comfortably clear of the chase pack behind him. The real intrigue in the middle of the field came from Eric Kan (Danville) and Dennis Digman (Suisun City), who finished 4th and 5th in 1:19:02 and 1:19:12 respectively — ten seconds apart after running 12:43 and 12:45/mi averages that tracked each other almost the entire way.

Glenn Balke of Pacific Grove and Andrew Allen of Belvedere Tiburon rounded out the seven-man field in 6th and 7th, crossing in 1:34:00 and 1:34:28. All seven finishers completed a challenging urban course — one that winds through San Francisco's hills and waterfront — and every one of them did it at 70 or older. But the story of this race belongs to Richardson and Brickley: two men in their seventies, separated at the finish by three seconds.