M16-19: Tzeng Takes It in Kaua'i's Heat

• Zachary Tzeng won the M16-19 age group in 4:39:26 (10:39/mi), more than 33 minutes clear of the field.
• Gene Yamashita finished 2nd in 5:12:43 (11:56/mi), the only other finisher in the age group.
• Yamashita showed his strongest running early, posting the 96th-fastest split in the field on the opening stretch to the half.
• Tzeng closed well, recording the 58th-fastest split in the field on the final push from mile 24.15 to the finish.

With just two finishers in the M16-19 age group, the Kaua'i Marathon's 77°F humidity-laden morning made every mile count — and 16-year-old Zachary Tzeng of Kalaheo handled it better than anyone in his bracket. His 4:39:26 at a 10:39/mi clip was a composed, measured effort across 26.2 miles, and his late race showed genuine strength: that 58th-fastest closing split in the entire field is no small thing when the legs are already deep into the work.

The story of how Tzeng got there is one of patience turning to power. He moved steadily through the men's field in the early and middle miles, then held his position as the race wore on — a sign that the heat and distance didn't crack him the way they did many others around him.

Gene Yamashita, 19, of Honolulu made his mark in the first half. His split from the gun to the halfway point ranked 96th in the field — a strong early showing that suggested he was running with confidence. But the back half of a Kaua'i marathon is unforgiving, and Yamashita's 5:12:43 finish, at 11:56/mi, reflected the toll of the conditions over the full distance. He crossed the line 33 minutes and 17 seconds behind Tzeng, completing a two-man age group where both athletes simply showed up and got it done on a tough morning on the Garden Isle.