M25-29: Grimshaw Runs Away from a 38-Man Field in Napa

• Charles Grimshaw wins in 18:24 — a 5:55/mi clip that left the rest of the M25-29 field well behind in cool, breezy Napa Valley conditions.
• Gannon Laidlaw takes 2nd in 19:26 (6:15/mi), the only other finisher to break 20 minutes — a full minute back of Grimshaw but a comfortable gap ahead of the rest.
• Tight battle for 3rd: Yahya Saad (22:14) and Justin Sindelar (22:16) were separated by just two seconds at the line — Saad holding on for the final podium spot.
• Cluster racing in the 22s: Tyler Houvener (5th, 22:53), Noah Sock (6th, 22:59), and Matthew Lee (7th, 23:09) ran within 16 seconds of each other across three consecutive places.

Charles Grimshaw, the 29-year-old from Ottawa, turned the M25-29 race into a solo performance from the gun. His 5:55/mi average was not just a win — it was a statement, besting the runner-up by over a minute in a 5K. In a field of 38, that kind of gap is decisive. Gannon Laidlaw, the local Napa entrant, ran a strong 19:26 to claim 2nd, but the race for the top spot was never really in question.

The real drama played out behind them. Yahya Saad (Mountain View) and Justin Sindelar (San Francisco) ran nearly the entire race at matching 7:09–7:10/mi paces before Saad edged across the line in 22:14 to Sindelar's 22:16 — a two-second verdict that earned Saad the final podium spot. Two seconds over 3.1 miles is about as close as it gets without a photo finish.

Further back, a pack of San Francisco runners turned the 22:53–23:09 window into its own private race. Houvener (5th, 22:53), Sock (6th, 22:59), and Lee (7th, 23:09) finished within 16 seconds of each other, all running in the 7:22–7:27/mi range. Andrew Lindbloom (8th, 23:23) and Evan Giesecke (9th, 23:42) kept that same pack honest through the finish chute. The midfield of this M25-29 field was genuinely competitive — 11 runners finished between 22:14 and 23:57, a span of less than 90 seconds.