M75-79: Tim Stearns Leads a Fearless Four Through San Francisco

• Tim Stearns, 78, wins M75-79 in 2:40:29 (12:15/mi), finishing 9:17 ahead of runner-up George Sayegh.
• George Sayegh, 79, clocks 2:49:46 (12:57/mi) for second — the oldest finisher in the group and still the second-fastest.
• Lawrence George, 77, takes third in 3:00:30 (13:46/mi), holding a remarkably steady men's field position throughout.
• DeWayne McMullin, 76, completes the four-man field in 3:32:49 (16:14/mi), finishing with his strongest relative segment of the day on the closing stretch to the finish.

Four men in their late 70s — one of them 79 years old — lined up to run 13.1 miles through San Francisco's hills in 59°F air and a stiff 14 mph wind, and every single one of them crossed the finish line. That alone is the headline. But Tim Stearns made sure there was a competitive story to tell as well, taking the M75-79 win in 2:40:29 at a 12:15/mi clip — a commanding margin that he built and defended across the full course.

Stearns was never truly threatened at the front, but his race wasn't entirely without turbulence. His men's field position drifted steadily back through the middle miles before he clawed back a handful of spots in the final stretch — a sign he was managing his effort and still had something left when it counted. George Sayegh, 79, was the field's most remarkable subplot: the oldest man in the group ran a composed 2:49:46 to claim second, never straying far from his men's field position all day and holding off Lawrence George by more than ten minutes.

George, 77, of Potomac, MD, was the model of consistency — his men's field ranking barely budged from start to finish, hovering in a narrow band the entire way. He crossed in 3:00:30 to take third. DeWayne McMullin, 76, brought up the rear in 3:32:49 but finished with purpose: his best relative split of the day came on the closing mile to the finish line, a fitting note to end on.