Men's Marathon: Evan Franco Wires the Field in Sonoma Wine Country

• Franco wins at 2:26:26 (5:35/mi), leading the men's race from start to finish through 887 finishers.
• Aidan Tomasini runs 2:29:59 — the only other man under 2:30, finishing 3:33 back in 2nd.
• John Lynch makes the biggest move of the top 10, climbing from 8th at the half to 5th at the finish with the 5th-fastest second-half split among the men.
• Andrew Bauer, 41, goes 2:36:51 to claim 7th — one of the oldest men in the top 10, splitting the field of 22-year-olds around him.

Evan Franco, 23, from San Jose, owned the men's race from the opening miles on this flat, fast Sonoma County course — holding the top spot at every checkpoint and crossing the line in 2:26:26 at a 5:35/mi clip. That's a commanding victory, nearly three and a half minutes clear of the field. The misty 55°F morning was about as close to ideal marathon conditions as you get in August, and Franco made full use of it.

Aidan Tomasini, 22, out of Aromas, was the only man who could stay in the same zip code through the first half, and he delivered the 2nd-fastest second-half split among the men to finish in 2:29:59 — a strong runner-up showing. Ruben Gonzalez, 37, from Anaheim, rounded out the podium in 2:33:31, a composed 5:51/mi effort that put him well clear of 4th. Bruce Peck (2:35:23, 4th) and John Lynch (2:36:36, 5th) completed a tightly bunched chase pack — Lynch the standout mover, surging from 8th at the halfway point to snag 5th with the 5th-fastest back half in the men's field.

The action stayed lively further down the leaderboard. Jacob Mandel and Andrew Bauer — both clocking 5:59/mi — finished just nine seconds apart in 6th and 7th respectively, with Bauer's 2:36:51 at age 41 worth a particular nod. Peter Kreuch (2:37:23, 8th) rounded out the sub-2:38 group. From there, a logjam formed between 12th and 16th place, where five men — Nergaard, Waite, Ryan, Landis, and Nunez — finished within 44 seconds of one another, all between 2:44:06 and 2:44:50. Santa Rosa's flat course lived up to its reputation as a Boston Qualifier, and with 887 men crossing the line, Franco's 2:26:26 stands as the clear headline of the day.