M40-44 at the NYC Half: Vendlener Leads a Field of Nine Across the Boroughs

• Goran Vendlener won the M40-44 group in 1:28:18 (6:44/mi), holding 10th among women throughout the second half of the race.
• Sean Rankin finished 2nd in 1:32:15 (7:02/mi) — nearly four minutes back — after climbing from 19th to 13th among women over the course of the race.
• Nenad Moconja rounded out the podium in 1:35:27 (7:17/mi), recovering from a mid-race dip to finish 17th among women.
• Brandon Hughes (2:52:33) edged Vinay Chadha (3:01:17) for 5th, despite Chadha's stronger opening splits.

Goran Vendlener set the tone for the M40-44 group from the gun, running a composed 6:44/mi to cross in 1:28:18. He sat steadily at 10th among women from the opening 5K all the way to the finish — a mark of even, disciplined racing on a cool, clear March morning through Prospect Park and into Central Park. His 10th-fastest women's split on the 5K–10K segment underscores just how cleanly he moved through the field.

Sean Rankin was the race's most notable mover in the top three, climbing from 19th among women at the opening checkpoint all the way to 13th by the finish — posting the 12th-fastest women's split on the second half to get there. At 7:02/mi, his pace was meaningfully slower than Vendlener's 6:44, and the 3:57 gap between them reflects that. Still, his negative-split style made him the most dynamic runner in the group. Nenad Moconja (1:35:27, 7:17/mi) slipped from 16th to 21st among women at the 20K mark before rallying to 17th at the line — his 13th-fastest women's split on the final push showing he had something left when it counted.

Behind the podium, the M40-44 field split sharply. Vinay Chadha (3:01:17, 13:50/mi) and Brandon Hughes (2:52:33, 13:10/mi) occupied 4th and 5th, with Hughes finishing nearly nine minutes ahead despite fading from 48th to 56th among women mid-race before recovering to 50th. Christopher Di Niso (3:31:04), Timothy Blocker (3:34:48), Bernardo Mandri (3:38:22), and Mc Halfpenny (3:20:50) completed the nine-finisher group, each navigating the full Prospect Park–to–Central Park course on a brisk but ideal racing day.