M25-29: Kowada Storms the Back Half to Take San Francisco

• Hibiki Kowada won M25-29 in 1:16:51 (5:52/mi), posting the fastest second-half split among all men to overhaul a crowded field and cross first.
• Zac Grissom pushed hardest early, running the 5th-fastest men's split on the 2M→4M stretch, and finished 2nd in 1:17:19 — just 28 seconds back.
• Andrew Kohn and Marcello Rossi both surged late, posting the 6th- and 8th-fastest men's splits on the 12M→Finish segment, clocking 1:20:30 and 1:22:19 for 3rd and 4th.
• Kowada came into this race off a win in the Saturday 5K earlier in the weekend — making his half marathon victory a standout double at this event.

Hibiki Kowada spent the first half of this race lurking. Sitting 6th among men through the opening miles, he hadn't moved a position by the midpoint — but then the back half happened. Kowada unleashed the fastest second-half men's split on the course, cutting through the field on the way to a 1:16:51 finish at 5:52/mi. That kind of closing surge, in 59°F conditions with a 14 mph wind off the Bay, is a statement.

The early story belonged to Zac Grissom, who was flying through the 2M–4M stretch with the 5th-fastest men's split in the field at that point. He tracked well through the middle miles before a slight fade in the late stages, but held on for 2nd in 1:17:19 (5:54/mi) — a strong run in its own right, and only 28 seconds separated the top two. Behind him, Kohn and Rossi both made their moves in the final mile-plus, running the 6th- and 8th-fastest closing splits among men respectively. Kohn's 1:20:30 earned 3rd; Rossi's 1:22:19 was good for 4th. Mitch Horn (5th, 1:22:59) had the 7th-fastest men's split through the 10.26M–10.5M segment but couldn't sustain it to the line, with Ryan Nealis (6th, 1:23:05) and Travis Lee (7th, 1:23:09) finishing just seconds behind him.

What makes Kowada's win particularly worth noting: he'd already claimed 1st among men in the Saturday 5K earlier this weekend. To back that up with a dominant M25-29 half marathon victory — powered by the best second-half men's split on the course — is the kind of weekend that defines a race trip. Among 796 finishers in M25-29, he was the clear standard.