M40-44: Soliz Runs Away from the Field at Run the Parkway

• Jedidiah Soliz won the M40-44 group in 2:12:22 (6:37/mi), finishing more than 4.5 minutes clear of runner-up Don Wang.
• Soliz climbed from 20th among men at the first checkpoint all the way to 6th among men by the finish, posting the 4th-fastest second-half split in the men's field.
• Sean Fagan and James Stanley both made strong late moves, recording the 14th- and 12th-fastest Mile 16→Finish splits among men, respectively, to lock up 3rd and 4th.
• Eight men finished between 2:29 and 2:32, making places 7 through 11 a tightly bunched mid-pack battle.

Jedidiah Soliz of Carmichael put on a masterclass in patience and progression. He entered the race sitting 20th among men, worked his way steadily through the field over the first half, and by the time the course hit its closing miles he was firmly in 6th among men and pulling away from everyone in the M40-44 group. His 6:37/mi average over 20 miles in 74°F heat is the kind of number that doesn't need embellishment — it was simply the best performance of the day in this age group, by a wide margin.

Don Wang of San Jose held a consistent position throughout, hovering between 15th and 18th among men across all checkpoints, and his 2:16:52 was good enough for a comfortable runner-up finish. Behind him, the race for the podium got interesting late. Sean Fagan (Vacaville) started the day 43rd among men but steadily climbed, finishing 24th among men at 2:20:14. James Stanley (Sacramento) was even further back early — 56th among men at the first checkpoint — but posted one of the strongest closing legs in the field to land 4th in 2:22:45.

Jared Kuester rounded out the top five in 2:26:35, while places 6 through 10 were separated by just 81 seconds across Shawn Tydlaska, Adam Sorkin, Vernon Lindsay, Sean Papathakis, and Tyler Haley. With 55 finishers in the M40-44 group on a warm November morning along the parkway, the depth was real — and Soliz made it all look straightforward.