M1-19: Edward Charles Runs Away with the Under-19 Title at CIM

• Edward Charles, 18, wins in 2:56:05 — a 6:43/mi pace that left the rest of the M1-19 field more than 12 minutes behind.
• Top four all finished under 3:15, with 18-year-olds sweeping the podium before 16-year-old Ethan Valdez claimed 5th in 3:22:58.
• John Rivers, just 15, finished 8th in 3:34:43 — one of the youngest in the group and one of the more impressive performances in the field.
• 28 finishers completed the race in the M1-19 age group, ranging from teenagers to some remarkably young listed ages in the back half of the field.

Edward Charles of Modesto made this one look straightforward. Running at 6:43 per mile, he crossed in 2:56:05 — the only finisher in the age group to break three hours — and his race was a steady, controlled climb through the men's field. He moved from 514th among men at the 5K checkpoint all the way up to 458th by the 35K mark before fading slightly to 530th at the finish, a sign that the back half of the course tested even the leader. Still, the margin was never in question: Christian Wilde of El Dorado Hills took 2nd in 3:08:08, a full 12 minutes and three seconds back.

Behind Wilde, the battle for the rest of the podium was tighter. Jonathan Allie of Orangevale ran a strong second half, moving from outside the top 1,400 among men at the early checkpoints all the way to 967th by the finish — one of the more dramatic progressions in the age group — and claimed 3rd in 3:10:51. Payton Bartlett of Lake Ozark, Missouri was just 2:52 further back in 4th at 3:14:43, having run a more consistent race before fading slightly in the closing miles.

Ethan Valdez, just 16 years old out of Waterford, rounded out the top five in 3:22:58 at 7:44 per mile — a strong showing for one of the younger competitors near the front. And 15-year-old John Rivers of El Dorado Hills deserves a mention for 8th place in 3:34:43, holding an 8:11/mi pace across the full 26.2 miles. With 28 finishers completing the distance on a cool Sacramento morning, the M1-19 age group delivered a clear winner and a compelling chase pack right behind him.