Two Cities Marathon M25-29: Matthews Runs Away from a Fast Field

• Connor Matthews wins in 2:46:34 (6:21/mi), the fastest in the M25-29 age group and the clearest margin of the day — 2:29 ahead of runner-up Ricardo Jazo.
• Ricardo Jazo fades late: Jazo held a stronger men's field position through 10K but slipped from 7th to 13th among men on the back half, while Matthews moved the other direction — from 11th to 10th.
• William Canning runs the strongest closing leg on the podium: moving from 24th to 16th among men after 10K, Canning caught and passed several rivals to lock up 3rd in 2:52:49 (6:35/mi).
• Adam Johns and Scott Sampson both finished in 3:13:01, with Johns edging Sampson for 11th place by the finest of margins.

Connor Matthews of Sparks, NV, put in a commanding performance on Two Cities' flat, Boston-qualifier-certified course, running 6:21/mi across 26.2 miles to win the M25-29 age group in 2:46:34. His 2:29 gap over second place wasn't just comfortable — it widened on the back half, as Matthews climbed from 11th to 10th among the men after 10K while posting the 8th-fastest closing split among men in the field. This was a runner in control from start to finish.

The podium battle behind him told a different story. Ricardo Jazo, the local Fresno runner, looked well-positioned through the early going — sitting 7th among men at 10K — but the second half cost him, as he slipped to 13th among men and finished in 2:49:03 (6:27/mi). Meanwhile, William Canning of Los Angeles was running the opposite race, surging from 24th to 16th among men over the same stretch to claim 3rd in 2:52:49. Samuel Karl rounded out the podium in 4th at 2:54:35 (6:40/mi).

After the top four, a significant gap opened before the next pack. Salvador Chavarin (5th, 3:06:23) and Daniel Hooker (6th, 3:06:55) were separated by just 32 seconds, with Chavarin notably climbing from 47th to 30th among men on the back half. The middle of the age group produced its own subplot: Adam Johns of Toronto and Scott Sampson — also of Toronto — crossed in the exact same displayed time of 3:13:01, with Johns taking 11th and Sampson 12th by the thinnest of margins. Forty-six men finished the M25-29 age group in all, with the full spread running from Matthews' 2:46 to a field that extended well past the 20 listed here.