Napa Valley 5K — M60-64: Yano edges Blindauer in a three-second thriller

• Winner: Tadashi Yano (San Francisco, age 62) crossed in 24:56 at an 8:02/mi pace to claim the M60-64 title.
• Closest finish: Just three seconds separated 1st and 2nd — Yano over Kevin Blindauer (24:59), one of the tightest margins on the day.
• Middle pack battle: Mitchell Gunderson (29:36) and Jim Stephenson (29:49) were separated by only 13 seconds for 3rd and 4th, with Mark Smith (30:26) just 37 seconds further back in 5th.
• Full field of 8 completed the course in brisk 36°F conditions, from the 24:56 winner to Todd Van Sickel's 49:14 in 8th.

The M60-64 race came down to the wire at the front. Tadashi Yano of San Francisco and Kevin Blindauer of Park Ridge ran nearly stride for stride through the cold Napa morning, both averaging 8:02 per mile — and yet Yano found just enough to hold Blindauer off by three seconds at the finish line. At 24:56, Yano's winning time was a sharp effort for the field, and Blindauer's 24:59 made it the most competitive finish of the group.

Behind the top two, a genuine battle unfolded for the final podium spot. Mitchell Gunderson, racing on home turf in Napa, took 3rd in 29:36 at a 9:32/mi clip. Jim Stephenson of Burlingame pushed him all the way, finishing 4th in 29:49 — 13 seconds back. Mark Smith, also a Napa local, rounded out the top five in 30:26, keeping the pressure on throughout that middle cluster.

Pao-Po Hou of Saratoga finished 6th in 35:36 and Bryan Chun of San Jose was 7th in 36:03, separated by just 27 seconds. Todd Van Sickel of Rochester completed all eight finishers in 49:14 — a full course finished on a sharp winter morning in the Napa Valley.