Masters Men 5K: Horsman Dominates in Fresno Heat

• Jason Horsman won the Masters Men race in 19:22 (6:14/mi), more than 3 minutes clear of second place — the largest gap on the podium.
• Stephone Paige II (40, Los Angeles) claimed second in 22:25, with Nick Bennett (41, Fresno) rounding out the podium in 24:23.
• Places 5 through 8 were separated by just 32 seconds — a genuine four-man scrum between 26:15 and 26:47.
• Rob Mobert (61) and Wayne Vock (62) were the oldest men in the top 20, both finishing in the 31-minute range and leading the charge for the older end of the Masters field.

At 74°F under a clear Fresno sky, the Two Cities Marathon 5K brought out 104 Masters Men — and one of them made it look like a different race entirely. Jason Horsman, 47, crossed in 19:22 at a 6:14-per-mile clip, a pace that none of his competitors came close to matching. His margin of victory — 3 minutes and 3 seconds over Stephone Paige II — wasn't a close call; it was a statement.

Paige, making the trip up from Los Angeles, held second comfortably in 22:25, while Fresno's own Nick Bennett locked up third in 24:23. The gap from Bennett to fourth was another 84 seconds, and then the race got genuinely interesting. Trevor Clinard (42, Clovis), Art James Ortega (51, Fresno), Jorge Ruiz (52, Clovis), Tyler Hedden (50, Clovis), and Justin Caplinger (43, Fresno) arrived in a tight cluster — just 32 seconds separating 4th from 8th — with Ruiz and Hedden finishing within two seconds of each other at 26:42 and 26:44.

Further back, the Masters field showed its range. Juan Amador, 53 out of Coalinga, cracked the top 11 in 28:05, while Rob Mobert (61) and Wayne Vock (62) were the senior statesmen of the top 20, both running past 31 minutes but still moving with purpose in the Central Valley heat. With 84 more finishers beyond the top 20, this was a deep and competitive Masters field — even if the winner left little doubt about who owned the day.