M55-59: Hassler Races to a Clear Win on the Napa Valley Out-and-Back

• Brian Hassler, 55, wins in 26:59 — an 8:41/mi clip that put more than a minute of clear air between him and the rest of the M55-59 field.
• Tight battle for second: Matthew Shepherd (28:00, 9:01/mi) held off Tomoaki Kumagai (30:46, 9:54/mi) by over two and a half minutes for the runner-up spot.
• Widest spread in the field: Gregory Altimari (11th, 57:04) finished exactly 30:05 behind Hassler, reflecting a broad range of paces across all 11 finishers.
• Local contingent: Three of the 11 finishers — Jeffery Li (4th, 36:20), Jack Dickranian (5th, 40:04), and Rudolfo Valdez (6th, 42:20) — hailed from the Bay Area.

Brian Hassler made the trip from Franklin, TN worth every mile. Running 8:41/mi on the Napa Valley Marathon's out-and-back 5K course, he crossed in 26:59 — the only finisher in the M55-59 field to break 27 minutes and, at 55, the youngest man in the group. Matthew Shepherd of Atlanta pushed hard for second, clocking 28:00 at 9:01/mi, but the gap to Hassler was a decisive 1:01 — not a race that was ever truly in doubt at the line.

Third place went to Santa Clara's Tomoaki Kumagai in 30:46 (9:54/mi), a noticeably different pace than Shepherd's but a comfortable margin clear of fourth. Jeffery Li (36:20, 11:42/mi) and Jack Dickranian (40:04, 12:54/mi) rounded out the top five, with Rudolfo Valdez of American Canyon — one of two local American Canyon runners in the field — finishing sixth in 42:20.

The back half of the M55-59 field spread out considerably across the cool, humid Napa morning. Nicholas Kannady (7th, 43:50), Dan Klusman (8th, 50:12), Greg Giardiello (9th, 53:16), Ronald Magcauas (10th, 56:33), and Gregory Altimari (11th, 57:04) all completed the course, each earning their finish on a race whose proceeds flow back into the Napa Valley community. Eleven men started, eleven finished — a clean sweep for the M55-59 group.