M20-24: Lance Nicholls Surges Late to Claim the Title in Cleveland Heat

• Nicholls wins in 2:42:22 (6:12/mi), posting the 4th-fastest closing split (22.5M→Finish) among all men to seal a dominant late-race charge.
• Andrew Goldslager started strong — as high as 6th among men through the first half — but faded to finish 2nd in 2:44:01, just 1:39 back.
• Logan Clark mirrored Nicholls with a powerful closing leg (5th-fastest men's split from 22.5M to the finish) to claim 3rd in 2:45:53, climbing from 33rd among men at the halfway mark.
• Seth Macura and Zachary Forristal finished 4th and 5th in 2:48:38 and 2:48:53 — 15 seconds apart after 26.2 miles in 75°F heat.

Lance Nicholls, 22, of Pittsburgh came to Cleveland and ran a race that got better with every mile. Sitting 28th among men through the early checkpoints, he was patient while others pushed — then he turned on the jets. From mile 22.5 to the finish, Nicholls posted the 4th-fastest closing split in the entire men's field, climbing from 15th to 10th among men and taking the M20-24 title in 2:42:22 at a 6:12/mi clip. In 75°F humidity, that kind of finish is earned, not given.

The early story belonged to Andrew Goldslager of Hudson, OH, who was flying through the first half — sitting 6th among men before the midpoint. But the back half of a hot Cleveland marathon has a way of evening the score. Goldslager slipped to 14th among men by the finish and crossed in 2:44:01, good for 2nd in M20-24 but a clear 1:39 behind Nicholls. Logan Clark of Hickory, NC told a completely different story: 33rd among men through much of the race, Clark unleashed the 5th-fastest men's closing split from 22.5M onward, climbing to 16th among men and landing 3rd in 2:45:53. Two athletes, two surges, one podium.

The battle for 4th and 5th was the tightest of the day. Seth Macura of Stow, OH — who had been as high as 10th among men through the early miles — and Zachary Forristal of Newburgh Heights, OH both averaged 6:26/mi and finished in 2:48:38 and 2:48:53 respectively. Macura faded from his early position while Forristal ran a steadier line, but 15 seconds was all that separated them across 26.2 miles of Cleveland roads. The rest of the M20-24 field — 209 finishers in all — filled out a competitive age group worthy of the heat they ran through.