Cleveland Marathon 5K: Rhys Overton Dominates the M0-14 Field

• Rhys Overton, 14, wins in 21:05 — a 6:47/mi pace that left the rest of the M0-14 group nearly two minutes back.
• Dean Alnadi (22:49) and Andrew Pree (23:27) claimed 2nd and 3rd, separated by 38 seconds, with Jack Bixler (4th, 24:07) another 40 seconds behind.
• Miles Witten, age 9, finished 9th in 28:05 — one of the youngest in a field of 78, running 9:02/mi on a humid, windy Cleveland morning.
• Beckett Carlson, age 7, and Ander Carlson, age 12, both crossed in 29:52, finishing 19th and 20th — a Gates Mills pair running stride for stride to the line.

Rhys Overton made this one look straightforward. The 14-year-old from Rocky River ran 6:47/mi through 67-degree heat and 15 mph winds to finish in 21:05 — a full 1:44 clear of the field. That kind of margin in a 5K isn't a close race; it's a statement. Among 78 boys 14 and under, no one came close to answering him.

Behind Overton, the real competition was a three-man chase. Dean Alnadi of Medina ran 7:21/mi to claim 2nd in 22:49, with Andrew Pree of Berea just 38 seconds further back in 23:27. Jack Bixler (4th, 24:07) kept it close through the podium positions, but Nolan Brister of Shaker Heights (5th, 26:02) marked a noticeable step back, and from there the field spread out across the 8:00–9:30/mi range.

The age story is worth telling. Nine-year-old Miles Witten of Avon Lake ran 9:02/mi to finish 9th — an impressive result against a field dominated by 13- and 14-year-olds. And the Carlson pair from Gates Mills — 7-year-old Beckett and 12-year-old Ander — crossed together in 29:52, sharing 19th and 20th place in what had to be one of the more memorable moments of the morning for that family.