M40-44: Fernando De Samaniego Steta Dominates Napa in a 2:38:57 Masterclass

• Fernando De Samaniego Steta won M40-44 in 2:38:57 (6:04/mi) — more than 10 minutes clear of the field.
• Washington Rezende held 2nd in 2:49:35 but faded from 22nd among men to 36th over the final stretch; Brett Perkins (2:50:49) and Jose Lorenzana (2:50:54) were separated by just 5 seconds for 3rd and 4th.
• Lorenzana posted the 28th-fastest men's split from mile 20 to the finish, charging from 48th among men to 40th — the strongest late surge in the group.
• 127 men finished in M40-44, with the top 20 all breaking 3:14.

Fernando De Samaniego Steta turned Napa's net-downhill Silverado Trail corridor into a personal showcase. Running 6:04 per mile across 26.2 miles, he clocked 2:38:57 — a time that would sit within striking distance of the men's course record — and spent the entire race climbing through the men's field, moving from 15th among men at the first checkpoint all the way to 10th by the finish. His 11th-fastest men's split on the 10M–13.1M segment shows he didn't coast through the middle miles; he pressed the gas precisely when others were starting to feel the 55°F humidity.

Behind him, the race for the podium was a different story. Washington Rezende ran a strong first half, sitting 22nd among men through mile 20, but faded to 36th by the finish — a sign the back half of this point-to-point course extracted its toll. That opened the door for Brett Perkins (2:50:49, 6:31/mi) and Jose Lorenzana (2:50:54, 6:31/mi) to close in. Lorenzana in particular made a genuine move late, posting the 28th-fastest men's split from mile 20 to the line and climbing from 48th to 40th among men — but Perkins held 3rd by just five seconds.

The mid-pack battle was equally tight. Scott Cunningham (3:03:22), Masaya Togo (3:03:25), and Justin Riis (3:03:44) were packed within 22 seconds of each other in 13th through 15th, with Barry Main (3:03:59) and Everardo Leon (3:04:03) just seconds further back — five runners covering a span of 41 seconds across five places. In a field of 127, that kind of compression deep in the results is a testament to how evenly matched this cohort ran through wine country.