M16-19 Half Marathon: Salazar Dominates While Juvan Storms the Back Half

• Hezekiah Salazar (16, Kalaheo) wins in 1:47:59 — an 8:14/mi average that put nearly six and a half minutes between him and runner-up Finlay Smith (1:54:15).
• Liam Juvan surges late: after starting the 11.05-to-finish segment from the equivalent of 132nd among men, Juvan posted the 18th-fastest split on that closing stretch in the men's field — the sharpest finishing kick in the M16-19 group.
• Closest battle of the day: Zevyn Nickel (4th, 1:57:20) and Liam Juvan (3rd, 1:57:14) were separated by just six seconds at the line — a gap Juvan opened with that strong final leg after Nickel had been running ahead of him through the middle miles.
• Noah Thielen and Kai Pineda finished 5th and 6th in 2:01:56 and 2:01:59 respectively — three seconds apart after 13.1 miles of racing.

Sixteen-year-old Hezekiah Salazar from Kalaheo set the tone for the M16-19 age group from the start, and he never let up. Running 8:14/mi through Poipu's warm, humid morning — 77°F with 69% humidity — Salazar crossed in 1:47:59, a margin that made this one of the more decisive age-group wins on the course. Finlay Smith (19, Kilauea) was the clear runner-up at 1:54:15, picking up places through the second half of the race to finish a solid 29 seconds clear of the podium battle behind him.

That battle was genuinely gripping. Liam Juvan (16, Lihue) entered the final segment well back but turned on the jets, posting the 18th-fastest closing split in the men's field to edge Zevyn Nickel (17, West Sacramento) by six seconds — 1:57:14 to 1:57:20. Nickel had been running the stronger middle segment, but Juvan's finishing speed was the difference. Third place to a 16-year-old from Lihue, earned the hard way.

Just behind them, teammates Noah Thielen and Kai Pineda — both 17 from Koloa — ran practically stride for stride all the way to the finish, separated by a mere three seconds across 13.1 miles (2:01:56 and 2:01:59). Merrick Buford (7th, 2:16:59) through Cooper Bailin (14th, 4:25:58) rounded out a 14-finisher field that spanned nearly two and a half hours from first to last — a wide range of effort and experience on a demanding Kaua'i morning.