Men's Ultramarathon: Carson Clowes Turns 2023's Runner-Up Finish into a 2024 Title

• Carson Clowes wins in 6:30:42 (7:27/mi), posting the fastest second-marathon split among the men and erasing the 6:37:19 that left him one step short in 2023.
• Top three separated by 24:27 — Tilman Dette 2nd in 6:54:07, Elti Hoxha 3rd in 6:55:09, just 1:02 apart at the line.
• Tyler Rocha, 4th in 7:18:13, held 6th place through the first marathon and ran the 3rd-fastest second-marathon split among the men to lock in his result.
• Ryan Philip, 22, climbs from 12th to 5th (7:42:27), the biggest positive move in the top ten — edging Jesse Larios by 37 seconds at 7:43:04.

Carson Clowes came to San Francisco with unfinished business. A year ago he ran 6:37:19 and finished 2nd in the men's race. On Saturday, across 52.4 miles of the full SF Marathon course — twice over the Golden Gate Bridge, twice through Golden Gate Park, twice along the Embarcadero — he answered that result emphatically. His 7:27/mi average was a full 27 seconds per mile faster than runner-up Tilman Dette's 7:54/mi, and his second-marathon split was the fastest among the men, meaning he didn't just survive the back half of a double marathon: he ran it harder than anyone else in the field.

The early race told a different story. Clowes ran as low as 1st but drifted to 3rd through the opening marathon, while Hoxha held 2nd and Dette sat 4th. By the finish, those positions had reshuffled completely: Clowes on top, Dette in 2nd at 6:54:07, and Hoxha — who faded from 2nd to 5th on the second lap before recovering to 3rd — crossing in 6:55:09. That 1:02 gap between 2nd and 3rd was the tightest battle of the day.

Further back, the race rewarded patience. Ryan Philip, just 22 years old and representing Asheville, NC, moved from 12th at the midpoint all the way to 5th overall in 7:42:27, running the 5th-fastest second-marathon split among the men. He just edged out Jesse Larios (7:43:04, 6th) by 37 seconds. Bradley Fenner, 59, of Corte Madera, was 7th in 7:45:19 — one of the more quietly impressive results in a men's field of 77 finishers on one of the few urban ultras in the country.