M40-44 5K: Sergio Perez Dominates in Fresno

• Sergio Perez won the M40-44 group in 21:18 (6:51/mi) — a full 1:39 ahead of 2nd place.
• Dan Vaz (22:57) and Andrew Christison (23:01) were separated by just 4 seconds at the line for 2nd and 3rd.
• Garland Daniel rounded out the top four in 23:21, just 20 seconds back of the podium.
• 34 men finished in the M40-44 group, with times ranging from 21:18 to well past the 36-minute mark.

Sergio Perez of Clovis ran away with the M40-44 title at the Two Cities Marathon 5K, crossing in 21:18 at a 6:51/mi clip. That margin — 1 minute and 39 seconds over the next finisher — was the story of the day at the front. In a 5K, that's not a close race; that's a statement.

The real drama played out one spot back. Dan Vaz of San Bruno and Andrew Christison of Port Angeles, WA ran virtually the entire race to finish within four seconds of each other — 22:57 and 23:01 respectively — with Vaz holding 2nd by that slim margin. Garland Daniel of Merced came in 4th at 23:21, close enough to keep things interesting but just outside the podium.

Justin Caplinger of Fresno rounded out the top five in 24:27 (7:52/mi), followed by Francisco Serna at 25:17 and Sann Lu at 26:57. Gustavo Bautista, the oldest man in the top ten at 44, came in 8th at 27:57, with Ken Dubell (28:24) and Gerardo Villarreal (30:25) closing out the top ten. The back half of the field spread across a wide range of paces, with Victor Jimenez of Madera finishing 20th at 36:09 — and 14 more M40-44 runners behind him crossing the line as well.