San Francisco 10K (2024): Linabary edges Ramoutar in a blistering M25-29 battle

• James Linabary wins M25-29 in 36:19 (5:51/mi), edging fellow San Franciscan Eric Ramoutar by just four seconds.
• Top two separated by four seconds; third place 1:26 back — the podium gap tells two very different stories about how tight this race really was.
• Conner Delahanty ran the fastest closing split (4.62M→Finish) among the top five in M25-29, moving from 15th to 14th among men — the strongest finish in the group.
• 447 finishers packed the M25-29 field, with the top 20 ranging from 36:19 down to 45:30 — a spread of more than nine minutes across a competitive cohort.

James Linabary made the most of San Francisco's cool, overcast morning — 57°F with barely a breath of wind — to claim the M25-29 title in 36:19. He and Eric Ramoutar were running at the same 5:51/mi average pace, but Linabary held the edge when it counted, arriving four seconds ahead of his fellow San Franciscan. What separated them in the final stretch was the closing segment: Linabary posted the 6th-fastest 4.62M→Finish split among men, while Ramoutar was right behind with the 7th-fastest — a genuine duel to the line, with Linabary refusing to yield.

Aidan Schraer of Vacaville claimed third in 37:45 (6:05/mi), stepping up to a noticeably stronger pace than Christopher Lee (37:59, 6:07/mi) in fourth and Conner Delahanty (38:09, 6:08/mi) in fifth. Delahanty, though, was the one making moves late — his 11th-fastest closing split among men was the sharpest of the top-five group on that final stretch, and he gained a place on Lee over the closing miles despite entering it behind him.

Behind the lead pack, a second cluster formed around the 40-minute mark: Eric Berkovsky (6th, 40:10), Taylor Lee (7th, 40:39), and Scott Freeman (8th, 40:43) were separated by just 33 seconds. Further back, Graeme Workman (42:20) and Justin Wong (42:21) crossed within a single second of each other for 10th and 11th. With 447 men finishing across M25-29, the depth of this field was real — and the front of it delivered a race worth watching.