Half Marathon X35-39: Rebolleda Gomez edges out Rojas in a tight front-end battle

• Maria Rebolleda Gomez won the X35-39 field in 1:54:54 (8:46/mi), holding off Dimitri Rojas by just 41 seconds.
• Dimitri Rojas finished 2nd in 1:55:35 (8:49/mi), posting the 4th-fastest women's split on the 5.5M–10.8M segment — but Rebolleda Gomez ran it faster, claiming 3rd-fastest on that same stretch.
• Jamie Kistner (3rd, 2:52:42) and Michael Cano (4th, 3:11:21) separated themselves from the back half of the field by nearly 20 minutes.
• Ashley Karl (5th, 3:23:59) and J Pond (6th, 3:41:48) rounded out the six-finisher field, with Pond completing the course in 3:41:48 at 16:55/mi.

The real contest in the X35-39 field played out at the front, where Maria Rebolleda Gomez and Dimitri Rojas ran a closely matched race for the first half before the middle miles became the decisive battleground. Through the opening 5.5 miles, Rojas actually held the edge in the women's field, sitting 2nd while Rebolleda Gomez was back in 5th. But on the 5.5M–10.8M segment, Rebolleda Gomez turned in the 3rd-fastest women's split in the field — faster than Rojas's 4th-fastest — and that surge carried her from 5th to 3rd among women. Rojas, meanwhile, slipped from 2nd to 3rd to 4th in the women's standings during that same stretch. The catch-up was real, and the 41-second gap at the finish tells the story of who ran that middle segment with more urgency.

Rebolleda Gomez crossed in 1:54:54 to claim the X35-39 title, with Rojas finishing in 1:55:35 for second. Behind them, the field spread out considerably. Jamie Kistner held 3rd in 2:52:42 — nearly an hour back of the leaders — while Michael Cano came home 4th in 3:11:21. Ashley Karl finished 5th in 3:23:59, and Long Beach's own J Pond closed out the six-person field in 3:41:48. Cool, calm conditions at 59°F with no wind gave everyone a fair shot — making the front-end duel all the more satisfying to watch unfold.