M0-19 at Long Beach: Luke Graham Leads a Fast Under-19 Front Pack

• Luke Graham wins in 2:49:51 (6:29/mi), nearly four and a half minutes ahead of runner-up Wade Nakahara (2:54:05, 6:38/mi).
• Max Kerl-Potash's closing surge earned him 3rd in 3:01:30 — his 20M-to-finish was the 61st-fastest closing split among women, a strong late charge that helped him climb from 167th to 105th in the women's field across the race.
• Ajay Patel mirrored that late-race momentum, moving from 219th to 150th among women en route to 4th in 3:08:09 — the M0-19 field's two best closers were both reeling people in down the stretch.
• 49 finishers completed the M0-19 race on a warm Long Beach morning — 72°F, 73% humidity, and a 7 mph breeze off the coast.

Luke Graham came to Long Beach and ran like he belonged with the open men's field. His 2:49:51 at 6:29/mi was a commanding performance, and his positioning tells the story: he started 23rd among women, settled back slightly through the middle miles, and ultimately held 30th — a steady, controlled effort from wire to wire. Wade Nakahara pushed him through the early going, sitting 52nd among women at the first checkpoint before climbing all the way to 43rd by the halfway mark. Nakahara faded just slightly in the back half but still crossed in 2:54:05 at 6:38/mi — a genuine runner-up performance that would hold up in most open fields.

The race for third belonged to Max Kerl-Potash, who ran a patient first half — sitting 167th among women at 5.5 miles — and then steadily dismantled the field. By the finish he'd climbed to 105th, and his 20M-to-finish split ranked 61st among women in the entire race. Ajay Patel told a nearly identical late-race story, surging from 219th to 150th among women on his way to 4th in 3:08:09. Both runners saved their best for when it mattered most.

Ivan Montejano rounded out the top five in 3:13:12 (7:22/mi), followed by a tight cluster of 18-year-olds: Samuel Neher of Brea in 3:17:32, Nicolas Soltero of Carson in 3:19:54, and Ethan Wen of Torrance in 3:22:37. Benicio Rodriguez and Herbert Tobar finished 9th and 10th separated by just eight seconds — 3:27:20 to 3:27:28 — the tightest battle of the day in the M0-19 field.