M25-29: Rager Dominates Napa at 5:12 Pace

• Jack Rager, 26, San Francisco — won M25-29 in 1:08:10 (5:12/mi), holding 2nd among all men from start to finish and posting the 3rd-fastest men's split on the back half (6.9M→Finish).
• Alex Miley, 25, San Jose — runner-up in 1:08:56, 46 seconds back, with the 4th-fastest men's split on the closing stretch — steady at 5th among all men throughout.
• Jacob Milburn climbed from 17th to 13th among men across the middle segment, finishing 4th in 1:11:54 — one of the day's most determined progressions.
• Kyle Eller and Milburn were separated by just 26 seconds at the line (4th in 1:11:54, 5th in 1:12:20), with both posting top-13 men's splits through the middle miles.

In a crisp 47°F morning with a 12 mph wind rolling through the Napa Valley, Jack Rager ran the M25-29 field into submission. His 1:08:10 at 5:12/mi wasn't just a winning time — it was a statement, good for 2nd among all men and never wavering from that position across all three checkpoints. The back half was where he truly separated himself, posting the 3rd-fastest men's split from 6.9M to the finish to close the door on any late challenges.

Alex Miley gave chase the entire way, also unmoved from 5th among men throughout, and his 1:08:56 at 5:16/mi earned a clear runner-up in M25-29. That 46-second gap to Rager is real, but Miley's 4th-fastest men's closing split shows he wasn't fading — Rager was simply better on the day. Cameron Goldstone, 27, from Tahoe City rounded out the podium in 1:10:08 (5:21/mi), contributing the 7th-fastest men's split through the middle segment (3.1M→6.9M) to secure 3rd.

The race within the race belonged to Jacob Milburn, 28, who moved from 17th to 15th to 13th among men over the course of the event, finishing 4th in 1:11:54. Kyle Eller, 29 from Fremont, made a similar charge through the middle miles — 12th-fastest men's split in that segment — and landed 5th in 1:12:20. Just 26 seconds split those two at the tape, making 4th and 5th the tightest battle on the M25-29 podium. Behind them, Ryan Sax (6th, 1:13:02), Noah Forrey (7th, 1:13:55), and Ryan Somerfield (8th, 1:14:11) rounded out a competitive top ten in a field of 184.