Fort Ord 10K M40-49: Zefferman takes the age group in 55:31

• Matthew Zefferman (age 47, Marina) won the M40-49 group in 55:31 (8:56/mi), posting the 9th-fastest Skyline→Finish split among the men and climbing from 18th to 9th in the men's field over the course of the race.
• David Stickler finished 2nd in 56:37 — just over a minute back — with the 11th-fastest Skyline→Finish split among the men.
• Emilio Quezada and John Mazzeo ran nearly identical races to the line: 3rd in 58:23 and 4th in 58:52, separated by just 29 seconds after 6.2 miles on Fort Ord's trails.
• Lucas Wilcox was the most notable mover in reverse — entering the Skyline→Finish segment in 16th among the men before fading to 22nd, finishing 5th in the age group in 1:01:31.

Matthew Zefferman made his move where it counted. Starting the final Skyline→Finish leg in 18th place among the men, the 47-year-old from Marina surged to 9th by the line — a nine-place climb that sealed his age-group win at 55:31. His 8:56/mi average was the benchmark for M40-49 on the day.

David Stickler (2nd, 56:37) mirrored that closing strength, moving from 20th to 12th among the men on the same segment. The gap between him and Zefferman — 1:06 — was established and never seriously threatened. Behind Stickler, Emilio Quezada (3rd, 58:23) and John Mazzeo (4th, 58:52) ran a tight parallel race, both from Salinas and Gilroy respectively, with Quezada holding 29 seconds at the finish.

Lucas Wilcox tells the flip-side story. The Pacific Grove 47-year-old was actually running in 16th among the men heading into the final segment — ahead of where Zefferman and Stickler started it — but gave ground on the Skyline→Finish stretch, sliding to 22nd and finishing 5th in the age group in 1:01:31 (9:54/mi). Aaron Cruz rounded out the top six in 1:09:36, while Jason Williams (7th, 1:17:53), Chris Delle (8th, 1:44:00), and Jonathan Unangst (9th, 1:52:07) completed the nine-man field on a clear, breezy morning at Fort Ord.