Napa Valley Marathon M35-39: Burmaster Battles the Cold Rain to Take the Crown

• Kevin Burmaster, 39, wins in 2:38:35 (6:03/mi) — the fastest M35-39 finisher in a field of 133.
• Tightest action at the front: Burmaster's margin over runner-up Michael Bolt was just under five minutes (2:43:33), with Eric Card (2:45:35) and Justin Wu (2:46:38) rounding out the top four within eight minutes of the winner.
• Burmaster's closing kick: He posted the 3rd-fastest men's split on the final 20M-to-finish stretch — a decisive late-race push that sealed the win in 41°F drizzle.
• Eric Card's relentless climb: Card entered the men's field 15th at the first checkpoint and steadily worked forward, finishing 10th among men overall — the most consistent upward mover in the top ten.

Kevin Burmaster crossed the line in 2:38:35, running 6:03 per mile through a cold, rain-soaked Napa morning to claim M35-39 honors. He wasn't always the cleanest position in the men's field — his gender place dipped to 5th at the first checkpoint before he clawed back to 4th — but his third-fastest men's split from mile 20 to the finish told the real story. When it mattered most, Burmaster was moving faster than nearly everyone on the course.

Behind him, Michael Bolt had the early look of a contender. The Denver runner was as high as 2nd among men through the first checkpoint, but faded to 6th by mile 20 before recovering to finish 5th among men and 2nd in M35-39 at 2:43:33 (6:14/mi). His 5th-fastest men's split on the 6.2M-to-13.1M stretch showed genuine strength in the middle miles — the fade came later, and Bolt still held on for the podium.

Eric Card made the most satisfying journey through the field, moving from 15th to 14th to 12th and finally 10th among men, finishing 3rd in M35-39 at 2:45:35 (6:19/mi) with the 6th-fastest men's split on the second half. Justin Wu (4th, 2:46:38) and Jefferson Ross (5th, 2:53:40) completed a top five spread across nearly 15 minutes, with Ross running the 18th-fastest men's split on the 13.1M-to-20M segment to move from 29th to 24th in the men's field by the finish.

Further back, a genuine logjam played out between places 8 and 13: Fin Watterson (8th, 2:57:14) and Benjamin Wood (9th, 2:57:32) were separated by just 18 seconds, while Alessandro Roncone (12th, 2:59:36) and Dan Loman (13th, 2:59:41) finished just five seconds apart — all of them navigating the same wet, chilly Napa roads on a day that demanded grit at every mile marker.