M45-49: Cutforth Controls from the Start

• Dave Cutforth won the M45-49 age group in 3:56:57 (9:02/mi), leading among the men from the opening checkpoint through the finish.
• Amrick Sandhu finished 2nd in M45-49 in 4:24:11 (10:05/mi), a gap of 27 minutes 14 seconds back.
• Cutforth posted the fastest men's split on the 5K→10K segment — the sharpest early move in a two-man group.
• Sandhu held the 2nd-fastest men's split on the 20K→Half segment, his strongest stretch of the race.

In a two-man M45-49 field at the California International Marathon, Dave Cutforth of Tracy made the outcome clear early. He held the top men's spot at every checkpoint from the first timing mat to the last, running a measured 9:02-per-mile pace across 26.2 miles in mild Sacramento conditions — 59°F and a whisper of wind that offered no real excuse for anyone to slow.

Cutforth's sharpest moment came in the 5K-to-10K corridor, where he posted the fastest men's split of the two. That early assertiveness set the tone: there was never a phase of this race where the lead was in question. His 3:56:57 finish — just inside the four-hour mark — was the definitive result in the age group.

Amrick Sandhu of Sacramento was right there through the early miles, sitting 2nd among the men at the 5K check, but by 10K he had slipped to 4th among the men and stayed there for the remainder of the race. He did find a strong gear between 20K and the Half, recording the 2nd-fastest men's split in that segment — a sign of competitive running in the middle miles. But the 27-minute gap at the line reflects a tough second half. His 4:24:11 at 10:05 per mile still represents a solid finish on a classic course.