Boys U-19: Fourteen-Year-Old Ford Leads the Way in Santa Rosa

• Johnathan Ford, 14, wins in 44:56 (7:14/mi) — the youngest of the top five and the fastest in the field.
• 42-second gap separates Ford from runner-up Karym Cruz (45:38, 7:21/mi); Derek Sadorra rounds out the podium at 46:46 (7:32/mi).
• Two-second thriller for 4th: Jade Garcia-Glover (47:45) held off Reid Heavner (47:47) by just two seconds.
• Ryan Nieh, age 7, and Beni Peng, age 6 both completed the 10K — Nieh in 1:08:05, Peng in 1:39:29.

In cool, misty conditions along the Santa Rosa course, 14-year-old Johnathan Ford of Santa Rosa put together the fastest run of the day in the under-19 field, crossing in 44:56 at a 7:14-per-mile clip. That's a commanding performance against a field of 17, and it's all the more striking given that Ford was the youngest finisher in the top five — outpacing 17- and 19-year-olds alike.

Behind Ford, Windsor's Karym Cruz (17) was the closest challenger at 45:38, finishing 42 seconds back. Derek Sadorra of Santa Rosa — at 19 the oldest of the podium trio — came in third at 46:46 (7:32/mi), a full minute and ten seconds behind the winner. The gap between second and third was larger than the gap between first and second, suggesting Ford and Cruz pulled clear of the rest early.

The race for fourth was the tightest battle of the day. Santa Rosa's Jade Garcia-Glover (17) crossed in 47:45, with Reid Heavner (15) breathing right down his neck at 47:47 — a two-second margin after more than 6 miles of racing. From sixth place onward, Kaveh Manshouri (53:39) and Danny Kilcullen (54:32) ran a notably different race, nearly six minutes behind the front pack at paces above 8:30 per mile.

The back of the field told its own story. Twelve-year-old Eligh Hardisty finished 9th in 1:00:12, while 11-year-old Conor Hanley came in 11th at 1:06:54. Most remarkable of all: seven-year-old Ryan Nieh of Palo Alto completed the 10K in 1:08:05, and six-year-old Beni Peng of Campbell crossed in 1:39:29 — both earning every bit of their finisher spots.