M15-19 Marathon: Vorabouth edges Ganzenhuber in a tight Fresno teenage showdown

• Julian Vorabouth (17, Fresno) won the M15-19 group in 3:24:16 — a 7:47/mi pace on a warm 74°F November morning.
• Just 2:10 separated 1st and 2nd: Zachary Ganzenhuber crossed in 3:26:26, making this the closest battle of the age group.
• Bryce Cornett posted the strongest first half among the top three, recording the 100th-fastest first-half split in the women's field — then held his form well enough to finish 3rd in 3:36:27.
• Alejandro Hernandez started like a rocket — briefly sitting 9th among women through the early miles — before fading significantly across the back half to finish 5th in 4:56:27.

Seven teenagers toed the line in M15-19 on a clear but warm Fresno morning, and the race at the front was genuinely tight. Julian Vorabouth, just 17, set the tone early and kept climbing through the men's field — moving from 225th among men at the halfway point all the way to 84th by the finish. He ran a composed 7:47/mi through the heat to claim the age-group title in 3:24:16.

Right on his heels was 19-year-old Zachary Ganzenhuber, who ran a remarkably strong closing stretch — his 25.2M-to-finish split ranked 28th among women in the field, a genuine late-race surge. He crossed in 3:26:26, just two minutes and ten seconds back. The two Fresno runners clearly pushed each other through the second half, both continuing to climb the men's standings well into the final miles.

Bryce Cornett of Kingsburg ran a solid first half — the 100th-fastest first-half split among women — but the back half of the course, combined with the warmth of the day, took its toll. He faded slightly through the men's field after mile 18 yet still finished a clear 3rd in 3:36:27 at 8:15/mi.

The back half of the age group told a cautionary tale about the Two Cities Marathon's second-half demands. Alejandro Hernandez was briefly flying — 9th among women in the opening miles — but slowed dramatically and finished 5th in 4:56:27. Gabriel Villarreal and Juan Banuelos rounded out the seven finishers, crossing in 5:02:06 and 5:17:41 respectively. All seven finished, which on a 74°F day is no small thing.