Two Cities Marathon 5K: English Leads a Fresno Sweep of the M45-49 Podium

• John English won the M45-49 age group in 24:09 (7:46/mi), holding off fellow Fresno native Armando Castillo by 27 seconds.
• Armando Castillo finished 2nd in 24:36 (7:55/mi), with Adam Youngblood of Aurora, MO rounding out the podium in 3rd at 25:37 (8:15/mi).
• The top four separated themselves decisively — Victor Alvarado's 4th-place 26:05 was still nearly four minutes ahead of 5th place.
• 28 men finished in the M45-49 age group, with paces ranging from English's 7:46/mi all the way to 14:21/mi for 20th-place Manuel Hernandez.

John English owned the M45-49 age group from wire to wire, crossing in 24:09 at a crisp 7:46/mi pace. Castillo gave him a real race — his 7:55/mi was no slouch — but English's 27-second cushion held firm. Both men hail from Fresno, making this a true hometown duel at the top.

Youngblood made the drive from Aurora, Missouri, worth it, landing 3rd in 25:37 (8:15/mi) to complete the podium. Victor Alvarado of Madera ran a strong 4th in 26:05, and those four men formed a clear lead pack — the gap between Alvarado and the anonymous 5th-place finisher (29:56) was a substantial 3:51.

The middle of the field featured a tightly bunched cluster. Scott Townsend (6th, 30:53) and Alex Liu (7th, 31:03) were separated by just 10 seconds, and Mike Hernandez followed close behind in 8th at 31:28. Further back, Raul Cruz Jr. (9th, 34:13) and Javier Cabrera (10th, 34:16) were virtually inseparable — three seconds after more than 34 minutes of racing.

The M45-49 group spread across a wide range of paces and hometowns, with Fresno and the surrounding Central Valley well represented throughout the field. Manuel Hernandez closed out the listed finishers in 20th at 44:35, and eight more men behind him completed all 28 in the age group.