Boys U-19 5K: 13-Year-Old Sebastien Sam Outruns the Field in Santa Rosa

• Sebastien Sam, age 13, wins in 18:14 (5:52/mi) — beating 17-year-old Levi Lemmon by just 7 seconds.
• Top-3 separation: Azriel Cuevas, also 17, crossed 3rd in 18:54 — 40 seconds back of Lemmon and 33 seconds clear of 4th.
• Youngest podium threat: Samuel Steinberg, also 13, took 4th in 20:48, while 8-year-old Samuel Taylor finished 9th in 23:59.
• 51 finishers suited up for the M0-19 5K on a cool, misty Santa Rosa morning.

On a damp 60°F morning with mist hanging over Santa Rosa, the M0-19 field delivered one of the day's more compelling storylines: a 13-year-old leading the charge. Sebastien Sam of San Ramon ran a controlled 5:52/mi to finish in 18:14, holding off Levi Lemmon — four years his senior — by a slim 7-second margin. Lemmon's 18:21 at 5:54/mi was a strong effort in its own right, but Sam never gave him an opening.

Third place went to local favorite Azriel Cuevas of Santa Rosa, who crossed in 18:54 (6:05/mi). That 33-second gap to Lemmon meant the podium was well-defined, with a clear tier separating the top three from the rest of the field. Samuel Steinberg, another 13-year-old, was the best of the next group in 4th at 20:48 (6:42/mi), nearly two minutes behind Cuevas but a full minute ahead of 5th-place Jaydrek Andre Magsano, who ran 21:51 (7:02/mi).

The back half of the top 20 featured some of the youngest and most remarkable competitors on the course. Adam Ayala, just 11 years old from Merced, clocked 23:36 (7:36/mi) for 7th. Right behind him, 10-year-old Tommy Harris Jr. of Cotati finished 8th in 23:38 — separated by just 2 seconds. Then came Samuel Taylor of Modesto in 9th at 23:59, and Taylor is only 8 years old. That trio, ranging from age 8 to 11, finishing 7th through 9th in a 51-runner field, was quietly one of the most impressive subplots of the morning.