M35-39: Ben Li Runs Away from a Deep Field at CIM

• Ben Li wins in 2:20:01 (5:20/mi), finishing 2:45 clear of runner-up Devin Allbaugh — the largest gap in the top five.
• Allbaugh and Jamnick separated by just six seconds (2:22:46 vs. 2:22:52) for 2nd and 3rd, but it was Jamnick who made up ground — his 10K–15K split ranked 91st-fastest in the men's field, while Allbaugh faded from 104th to 108th in the men's standings over the final 7K.
• Hashem Zikry's late charge: running the 86th-fastest men's split from 35K to 40K, Zikry climbed from 165th to 130th in the men's field over that stretch — the biggest positional surge in the top five.
• 889 finishers made M35-39 one of the most competitive age groups on the course, with the top 20 all breaking 2:33.

Cool and overcast conditions — 46°F, barely a breath of wind — set the table for fast racing at CIM, and the M35-39 field delivered. Ben Li, 35, of Seattle, was the class of the group from start to finish, progressively moving through the men's field from 107th at the first checkpoint all the way to 82nd by the finish. His 5:20/mi average wasn't just a winning pace — it was a full seven seconds per mile faster than anyone else in the top five. He also posted the 56th-fastest men's split in the field from 35K to 40K, meaning he was still accelerating deep into the race while others were managing the final miles.

Behind Li, the battle for 2nd and 3rd was the race's sharpest subplot. Devin Allbaugh of Bettendorf, IA, and Nick Jamnick of Wheat Ridge, CO, ran nearly the same 5:27/mi average, but they got there differently. Jamnick was aggressive early — his 10K–15K split ranked 91st-fastest in the men's field — and climbed as high as 96th in the men's standings by halfway before fading to 111th at the line. Allbaugh was more consistent through the middle miles but also softened late, slipping from 101st to 108th. Six seconds separated them at the finish, with Allbaugh holding 2nd.

Umar Saeed (4th, 2:24:11) and Hashem Zikry (5th, 2:24:39) rounded out the top five, with Zikry's 35K–40K surge the most eye-catching late-race move in the group. Colin Mcgrath (6th, 2:24:59), Matt Hensley (7th, 2:25:42), and Scott Olberding (8th, 2:25:51) kept the pressure on through the 2:25 range, with all 20 listed finishers coming home under 2:33 — a testament to just how strong the M35-39 field ran on a near-perfect Sacramento morning.