M65-69: Kacimi Dominates the San Francisco 10K

• Rachid Kacimi, 67, wins in 53:02 (8:32/mi), finishing nearly 6 minutes clear of the field in a 16-man M65-69 race.
• Carlos Esparza's closing surge stands out: the 66-year-old from Albuquerque posted the 5th-fastest second-half split among all women in the race on the 5K-to-finish segment, rocketing from 1,440th to 499th in the women's standings — a massive catch-up that secured 2nd place in 58:54.
• Adam Quinton rounds out the podium at 1:02:03 (9:59/mi), with Harry Mita (1:04:58) and Raymond Chan (1:05:36) making it a five-way battle for the top five within about 12 minutes of the winner.
• Renato Maliwat, 69, closes out the field in 1:54:16 — the oldest finisher in the group and a full hour behind Kacimi.

Rachid Kacimi, a 67-year-old from San Francisco, made this race his own from the start. His 8:32/mi average held up across the full 6.2 miles on a cool, breezy morning along the bay, and his 53:02 finish left no suspense at the front. His early half was fast enough that by the 5K mark he was already well clear — and he held it, finishing with the 309th-fastest closing split among all women in the field, a solid benchmark for the back half.

Behind him, the real drama belonged to Carlos Esparza. The Albuquerque runner was buried deep in the field through the first 5K, but his closing leg was electric — the 5th-fastest second-half split among women in the entire race. That surge carried him from 1,440th in the women's standings all the way to 499th, and locked up 2nd place in 58:54. Kacimi wasn't caught, but Esparza was flying while everyone else was fading or holding steady.

Third through fifth was a genuine cluster. Adam Quinton (1:02:03), Harry Mita (1:04:58), and Raymond Chan (1:05:36) were separated by just under three minutes across three places — Mita actually moved up in the women's standings on the back half while Quinton faded slightly, giving the 4th-place finisher a stronger closing leg despite finishing behind him. From 6th onward, the field spread out considerably, with Jeong Taik Lee (1:15:44) and Raymond Wong (1:16:15) leading a back half of the group that ranged all the way to Renato Maliwat's 1:54:16 to close it out.