M25-29: Brayden Mclaughlin Seizes the Lead and Never Lets Go

• Mclaughlin wins in 1:06:32 (5:05/mi) — the dominant performance in the M25-29 group, pulling clear of the men's field by Mile 5.13 and holding the top men's spot to the finish.
• James Eason runs 1:16:08 to claim 2nd, climbing from 6th among men at the opening checkpoint to 5th and logging the 6th-fastest split on the back half of the course (HALF→Mile 11).
• Derrick Dunton and Remington Breeze finish 3rd and 4th in 1:20:59 and 1:21:08 respectively — separated by just 9 seconds — both posting top-10 men's splits on the Mile 11→Finish stretch to surge through the field late.
• Lou Hosmer and John Harvey both clock 1:28:43 at 9th and 10th — different finishers, different places, decided by fractions of a second.

Brayden Mclaughlin, 25, from Loomis, ran this one from the front and made it stick. He held 2nd among men through the first half of the race before taking over the top spot between Mile 5.13 and the halfway mark — and from there it was a wire-to-wire command performance at 5:05/mi. His fastest men's split on that Mile 5.13→Finish stretch was the move that defined the race.

Behind him, James Eason (SF, CA) was quietly working his way forward. Starting the day 6th among men, he slipped back to 8th through the middle miles before reeling off the 6th-fastest men's split from the halfway point to Mile 11, ultimately landing 2nd in 1:16:08. The gap to Mclaughlin — nearly ten minutes — tells you just how complete the winner's performance was.

The most dramatic late charge came from Derrick Dunton and Remington Breeze. Dunton entered Mile 11 ranked 23rd among men and finished 3rd; Breeze was 20th and finished 4th. Both posted top-10 men's splits on the final stretch, and their finishing times — 1:20:59 and 1:21:08 — reflect a genuine battle that Dunton settled by 9 seconds. Jacob Iritani (5th, 1:21:59) had shown early speed with the 20th-fastest men's split between Miles 2 and 5, but faded slightly in the standings through the back half.

In a field of 323 M25-29 finishers, the top five were all under 1:22 — a sharp front pack on a clear, cool Sacramento morning.