M20-29 10K: Bowser edges Bentley in a two-second thriller

• Joey Bowser (37:48, 6:05/mi) won the M20-29 race by just two seconds over William Bentley (37:50, 6:05/mi) — the narrowest margin in the field.
• Third place Javier Guerrero (40:17, 6:29/mi) was the first of the local Santa Rosa contingent to finish, crossing 2:27 behind the top two.
• Places 6 and 7 — Joseph Nidoy and Mason Heinse — clocked identical displayed times of 46:15, with Nidoy holding the edge by the timing system's finer read.
• 20 named finishers led a field of 77 in the M20-29 race, with the top two separated from the rest of the podium by a gap of more than two minutes.

Joey Bowser, just 20 years old and racing in his hometown of Santa Rosa, took the M20-29 title in 37:48 at a blistering 6:05/mi — only to have William Bentley of Bend, OR push him to the very last second. Bentley's 37:50 at the same 6:05/mi average made this one of the closest finishes of the morning: two seconds across 6.2 miles in cool, light-rain conditions. The timing system separated them, but the effort was nearly indistinguishable at the finish line.

The gap to the podium's third step was decisive. Javier Guerrero (28, Santa Rosa) came home in 40:17 at 6:29/mi — 2:27 off the pace of the top two, but a clear third ahead of a competitive field. Adrian Rico (21, Healdsburg) was next in 42:00 at 6:46/mi, rounding out the top four before a larger break to fifth place.

Alessandro Buonanno (45:35) opened the mid-pack battle, followed closely by a tight cluster: Joseph Nidoy and Mason Heinse both stopped the clock at 46:15, with Nidoy edging into 6th by a sliver, and CJ Spencer (46:51) just behind in 8th. The 60°F drizzle made for good racing conditions, and the depth showed — eight men finished under 47 minutes in the M20-29 field of 77.