Men's Race: Zienasellassie Surges Late to Claim California International Marathon

• Winner: Futsum Zienasellassie, 2:09:28 (4:56/mi) — the 2022 CIM champion returns to the top step, 12 seconds clear of runner-up Joseph Whelan (2:09:40).
• Front-runner fades: Whelan led wire-to-wire through 25K before Zienasellassie — running the fastest men's split from 30K to 35K — moved from 2nd to 1st in the final stretch.
• Razor-thin 5th/6th: Chris Maxon (2:10:53.34) edged Jacob Thomson (2:10:53.98) by 0.64 seconds for 5th place — separated by less than a second after 26.2 miles.
• Deep, fast field: 106 men went under the Olympic Trials Qualifying standard across the race, with 20 men finishing under 2:15 in a men's field of 5,114.

Joseph Whelan ran the race of a front-runner — leading from the gun through every checkpoint up to 25K, clocking the fastest men's split of the 10K–15K segment, and looking every bit the winner-in-waiting. But Zienasellassie, who had spent most of the race lurking between 4th and 9th, was building toward something. He posted the fastest men's split from 30K to 35K — the move that cracked the race open — and by the time the finish line came into view, Whelan's lead had evaporated. Zienasellassie crossed in 2:09:28, Whelan in 2:09:40: twelve seconds and a title separating two men who ran 4:56 and 4:57 per mile respectively.

Third place went to Christian Allen (2:09:56, 4:57/mi), who ran the second-fastest men's split from 20K to the half and held his position admirably through the back half. Joseph Trojan was equally composed, climbing from 16th early on to 4th at the finish in 2:10:37 — his second-fastest first-half split in the men's field a sign of the discipline that powered his charge. Chris Maxon, meanwhile, ran the second-fastest men's half-to-25K split and earned 5th in 2:10:53.34, a mere 0.64 seconds ahead of Jacob Thomson (2:10:53.98) — a gap so small it barely registers after more than two hours of racing.

The men's podium was decided in the final 7K, but the story behind it stretches back three years. Zienasellassie won CIM in 2022 in 2:11:01, and Sunday he returned to Sacramento and ran 90 seconds faster — a 2:09:28 that stands as a statement on a point-to-point course known for producing quick times. He didn't lead for most of it. He didn't need to.