M50-54 at the Napa Valley Marathon 5K: Dela Cruz dominates in the rain

• Randy Dela Cruz, 1st in M50-54 — 21:52 (7:02/mi): Won by a commanding 5-minute, 2-second margin over the next finisher.
• Tight battle for 2nd: Randy Biscocho (26:54) and Jeffrey Wei (27:01) were separated by just 7 seconds for the podium's final two spots.
• Local presence: Three Napa residents — Shannon Rosette (5th, 29:17), Thai Pham (6th, 31:01), and Hady Kahale (11th, 41:12) — raced in their own backyard on a cold, wet morning.
• Field spread: 14 finishers ranged from Dela Cruz's 7:02/mi to Jose Rivera's 18:05/mi (56:10) in 14th.

Randy Dela Cruz made a statement in the M50-54 race at the 2024 Napa Valley Marathon 5K. Running through 41°F drizzle at 7:02 per mile, the 53-year-old from Irvine crossed in 21:52 — more than five minutes clear of the field. That kind of margin in a 5K isn't a close race; it's a different race entirely.

Behind him, the real drama was compressed into seven seconds. Randy Biscocho of Fairfield finished 2nd in 26:54 at 8:39/mi, with Jeffrey Wei — also of Fairfield — crossing in 27:01 at 8:42/mi to claim 3rd. Biscocho held on, but Wei made him earn it. Macario Dagdagan (4th, 28:44) and Shannon Rosette (5th, 29:17) rounded out the top five, both running sub-9:30 pace on a morning that didn't invite speed.

The middle of the field stretched from Thai Pham's 6th-place 31:01 through Jon Brower's 34:09 in 9th, a group covering about three minutes of racing across four finishers. Makara Hang (10th, 35:16) and Hady Kahale (11th, 41:12) kept the field moving before the final three — Baufu Yueh (12th, 51:57), Joe Ona (13th, 52:40), and Jose Rivera (14th, 56:10) — finished at a more measured pace. Every one of these 14 men toed the line in the rain and got it done.