M35-39: Haywas edges Perez in a sub-2:36 showdown at Two Cities

• Adrian Haywas wins M35-39 in 2:34:35 (5:54/mi), moving from 8th among men at the opening checkpoint to 4th by 10K — then holding the lead wire-to-wire from there.
• Oscar Perez finishes 69 seconds back at 2:35:44, closing with the 2nd-fastest split in the men's field on the final 0.8-mile stretch to the line.
• Steven Waite's second-half surge propelled the 35-year-old from 12th among men at the midpoint to 9th at the finish, posting the 8th-fastest second-half split in the men's field.
• Jared Jeffries made the biggest move of anyone in the top 10, climbing from 36th among men early to 19th by the finish — gaining 17 spots across the back half of the race.

Adrian Haywas (37, San Diego) ran a controlled and confident race at 5:54/mi under warm Fresno conditions — 74°F and clear skies not exactly ideal for marathon PRs. He was already inside the top 5 among men by the 10K mark and never relinquished that ground, finishing in 2:34:35 to claim the M35-39 title. His opening leg was particularly sharp: the 3rd-fastest split among men on the 1M-to-10K segment set the tone early.

Oscar Perez (38, Fresno) was right on Haywas's heels throughout, running 5:56/mi to cross in 2:35:44. He matched his rival's positioning almost checkpoint for checkpoint, but couldn't close the 69-second gap. What he could do was finish — Perez owned the 2nd-fastest final push to the line among men, a strong note to end on for the local runner.

Steven Waite (35, Fresno) was the steadiest climber among the podium finishers. Starting 51st among men, he cracked the top 10 by halfway and held 9th all the way home in 2:39:31. His second-half split ranked 8th among men — a sign that while Haywas and Perez were already gone, Waite was still accelerating. Joshua Bornstein rounded out the top four in 2:46:49, also finishing strong with the 14th-fastest closing split among men.

Further back, Jared Jeffries (37, Turlock) turned in the most dramatic journey in the M35-39 group, going from 98th among men early in the race all the way to 19th at the finish. That's not a drift — that's a race plan executed with patience.