Fort Ord 10K M40-49: Zefferman Leads a Tight Podium Through the Dunes

• Matthew Zefferman (age 47, Marina) won the M40-49 group in 55:31 at an 8:56/mi pace, moving from 18th to 9th among men across the race.
• David Stickler finished 2nd just 1:06 back at 56:37 — the closest gap on the podium.
• Emilio Quezada (age 49) and John Mazzeo (age 49) rounded out the top four within 29 seconds of each other, at 58:23 and 58:52 respectively.
• Lucas Wilcox was the only top-five finisher to lose ground in the men's field on the closing stretch, slipping from 16th to 22nd among men on the Skyline→Finish segment.

Matthew Zefferman set the tone for the M40-49 group from the start, running a composed 8:56/mi through Fort Ord's trail terrain to finish in 55:31. His push through the back half was decisive — he climbed from 18th to 9th among men overall, posting the 9th-fastest Skyline→Finish split in the men's field. At 47, he was the fastest in a group that skewed older at the front, with both Quezada and Mazzeo racing at 49.

Stickler gave chase and kept it honest. His 56:37 (9:07/mi) left just 66 seconds between him and Zefferman — respectable on a trail course — and he too moved through the men's field on the final segment, climbing from 20th to 12th. The real drama behind him was the battle between Quezada and Mazzeo: separated by only 29 seconds at the line, both men posted nearly identical closing splits (15th and 16th-fastest Skyline→Finish among men), making that sub-group race effectively a side-by-side effort to the tape.

Wilcox was the outlier in the top five. He arrived at the Skyline segment in 16th place among men but faded to 22nd by the finish, his 1:01:31 (9:54/mi) reflecting a tougher closing leg than the four ahead of him. Behind the top five, the field spread wide — Aaron Cruz finished 6th in 1:09:36, with Williams, Delle, and Unangst completing the nine-man group across a range that stretched all the way to 1:52:07. Nine finishers, one clear winner, and a podium that earned every second of separation.