Way Too Cool 10M: Croall dominates M70-99 with a 2:04 effort

• Doug Croall (72, Newcastle) won the M70-99 age group in 2:04:00 — a 12:24/mi pace across 10 miles of Cool, CA terrain.
• Ed Walsh (76, Placerville) claimed 2nd in 2:25:53, finishing 21:53 behind Croall.
• Wayne Miles (78, El Dorado Hills) completed the three-man field in 2:56:45 — a 17:41/mi pace at age 78.
• The gap from 1st to 3rd spanned 52:45 across just three finishers, making every place a story of its own.

Three men, three decades of life experience stacked between them (ages 72, 76, and 78), and one clear winner. Doug Croall set the tone from the start, steadily moving through the broader men's field — from 24th among men at the first checkpoint to 23rd at the second, then pushing up to 20th by the finish. That forward momentum wasn't just age-group positioning; it was a genuine late-race surge through the field.

Croall's finishing kick was particularly sharp on the HWY 49 to Finish segment, where he posted the 18th-fastest split among men on that closing stretch — a strong close on a clear, mild morning in Cool. At 12:24 per mile over 10 miles at age 72, it was a performance that held its own well into the broader men's field.

Ed Walsh, at 76, held steady throughout — sitting 37th among men at every checkpoint and at the finish. There was no drift, no fade, just consistent execution across the full 10 miles in 2:25:53. Wayne Miles, the eldest of the group at 78, covered the course in 2:56:45, moving up two spots among men between the first and second checkpoints before holding his position to the line. Finishing a 10-mile trail race at 78 — at any pace — is worth noting plainly.