M0-14 Half Marathon: Nash Lucero Leads a Six-Kid Charge Through Fresno

• Nash Lucero, 14, wins the M0-14 group in 1:43:16 — a 7:53/mi pace that left the field well behind.
• 20-minute gap to 2nd: Darren Liu (2:04:13) finished second among the under-14s, more than 20 minutes back.
• Youngest on the podium: A. Montez, just 12 years old, claimed 3rd in 2:21:11 — a 10:46/mi effort that held off the rest of the field.
• All six finished: J. Guerrine (4th, 2:49:24), Lucas Pankratz (5th, 3:24:38), and Bevan Yang (6th, 3:29:01) all crossed the line in a six-finisher M0-14 group.

Six kids lined up to run a half marathon in Fresno, and Nash Lucero, 14, made it look authoritative. His 1:43:16 — averaging 7:53 per mile across 13.1 miles — was the clear benchmark of the M0-14 group, and no one came close to matching it. Lucero's second half was strong too: he posted the 106th-fastest split on the 10K-to-finish stretch among the women's field he was running within, holding his effort all the way to the tape.

Darren Liu, also 14, ran a composed 2:04:13 (9:29/mi) for second place, and notably gained ground in the back half — moving from 318th to 272nd in the broader women's field on the 10K-to-finish segment, where he posted the 245th-fastest split. That's a meaningful negative split for a 14-year-old over 13.1 miles. The gap between Lucero and Liu — over 20 minutes — underscores just how dominant the winner was.

Third place went to A. Montez of Clovis, who at just 12 years old completed a half marathon in 2:21:11. That's 10:46 per mile, sustained for the full distance — a genuine accomplishment for the youngest finisher in the group. Behind Montez, J. Guerrine (11 years old, 4th in 2:49:24) deserves a mention of his own: finishing a half marathon at age 11 at a 12:55/mi pace is no small thing. Lucas Pankratz (5th, 3:24:38) and Bevan Yang (6th, 3:29:01) rounded out the six, separated by just over four minutes at the finish.