Napa Valley Marathon 5K — M21-24: Vemulapalli Dominates from Start to Finish

• Akash Vemulapalli (San Jose, CA, age 23) won the M21-24 race in 22:54 at a 7:22/mi pace — nearly 2:36 ahead of second place.
• Ronit Nagarapu (Berkeley, CA, age 21) claimed second in 25:30 (8:12/mi), with Leunam Ibarra (Richmond, CA, age 22) rounding out the podium in 28:06 (9:03/mi).
• Fourth and fifth were separated by just 25 seconds — Luis Deleon (Vacaville, CA) finishing in 28:55 and Dante Gonzalez Del Toro (Cotati, CA) in 33:30.
• Eight men completed the M21-24 race across a span of just over 31 minutes from first to last.

Akash Vemulapalli made the M21-24 race his own on the Napa Valley Marathon 5K's out-and-back course. His 22:54 finish at 7:22 per mile was a full 2:36 faster than anyone else in the field — a commanding margin that left no doubt about who owned this race from wire to wire. At 23, racing in cool, humid conditions with an 8 mph wind, Vemulapalli simply ran at a different gear than his peers.

Behind him, Ronit Nagarapu held second place with a solid 25:30 (8:12/mi), a noticeably different pace than the winner's but a clear and confident effort nonetheless. Leunam Ibarra completed the podium in 28:06, running 9:03 per mile to finish 2:36 back of Nagarapu. Fourth-place Luis Deleon crossed in 28:55 — just 49 seconds behind Ibarra — making the battle for third and fourth the tightest duel of the day at the front of the field.

Dante Gonzalez Del Toro (33:30) and Evan Benson (35:14) rounded out the middle of the pack, finishing fifth and sixth respectively. The final two finishers, Koby Somozo and Joshua Miguel Mora — both representing American Canyon — crossed in 52:52 and 53:56, completing all eight entries in the M21-24 field. The Kiwanis Club of Greater Napa's community-focused event had the full group across the line, and every finisher contributed to a race that put local Bay Area talent on full display.