M30-34: A.J. Reid Runs Away with the Age Group in Sub-1:20

• A.J. Reid, 31, wins M30-34 in 1:19:59 (6:06/mi), moving from 8th to 5th among the men on the second half and posting the 4th-fastest men's split from 10K to the finish.
• Jorge Ceballos Madrigal takes 2nd in 1:20:53 — just 54 seconds back — but faded from 5th to 8th among the men over the final stretch while Reid was surging the other way.
• John Forbes climbs from 16th to 11th among the men in the back half, finishing 3rd in 1:22:53 with the 8th-fastest men's split from 10K to the finish.
• A sizeable gap separates the podium from the rest: 4th-place Jonathan Sanchez (1:26:37) finished nearly four minutes behind Forbes.

A.J. Reid's 1:19:59 was the story of the M30-34 age group — a sub-80-minute half at 6:06/mi that not only topped the age group but had him moving through the broader men's field in the second half, picking off three more runners between the 10K mark and the tape. His 10K-to-finish split ranked 4th among all men in the race, a sign that his best running came when others were tiring.

Jorge Ceballos Madrigal ran a strong first half — sitting 5th among the men at the 10K — but the closing miles told a different story. While Reid was gaining ground, Ceballos Madrigal slipped three spots in the men's field, ultimately finishing 2nd in 1:20:53. His 10th-fastest men's split from 10K to the finish was still a quality effort; Reid simply ran that stretch faster. John Forbes, meanwhile, was one of the bigger movers of the day, climbing five spots in the men's field over the back half with the 8th-fastest closing split, and his 1:22:53 locked up third.

Behind the podium, Jonathan Sanchez (4th, 1:26:37) and Anthony Neblina (5th, 1:29:19) rounded out the top five, with Neblina slipping from 19th to 23rd among the men in the final segment. The pack from 6th onward — Nicholas Hurst (1:37:36) through the remaining 60 finishers — ran a different race entirely, with paces ranging from 7:27/mi on down. In an 80-man field, the top three separated themselves early and made it stick.