M25-29: Iritani Runs Away from a Sacramento-Stacked Field

• Jacob Iritani won the M25-29 age group in 2:06:39 (6:20/mi), finishing 2 minutes ahead of runner-up Xavier Venegas.
• Venegas crossed in 2:08:39 (6:26/mi), holding 2nd place comfortably over 3rd-place Sam Grunklee, who finished in 2:19:35 (6:59/mi).
• The top two ran the Mile 4→Mile 10 segment as the 2nd- and 3rd-fastest splits in the men's field on that stretch — a dominant mid-race showing from the Sacramento duo.
• A 74°F day with nearly 60% humidity made the conditions legitimately taxing across all 20 miles.

Jacob Iritani had this race in hand early. Entering the Mile 4→Mile 10 segment, he was already 3rd among men overall, and he never relinquished that standing — holding position all the way to the finish while posting the 2nd-fastest men's split on that middle stretch at 6:20/mi for the race. That kind of sustained pace on a warm, humid November morning in Folsom is the mark of a controlled, confident effort.

Xavier Venegas ran a mirror image of Iritani's race — entering Mile 4 in 3rd among men, slipping one spot to 4th, and staying locked there through the finish. His 6:26/mi average and the 3rd-fastest men's split on the Mile 4→Mile 10 leg made him the clear runner-up, 2:00 behind Iritani. Sam Grunklee was a step behind both in pace and position: his 6:59/mi average earned him 3rd in the age group at 2:19:35, though his men's overall standing slipped from 7th at Mile 4 to 23rd by the finish — a sign the heat took a toll in the back half.

The rest of the M25-29 field was a Sacramento-heavy contingent spread across a wide range of efforts. Mario Mayo (4th, 2:31:16) and Oleh Hamchuk (5th, 2:32:37) were separated by just 81 seconds, while Adan Cervantes (6th, 2:39:29) and Jonathan Gonzalez (7th, 2:40:09) were similarly close at 40 seconds apart. All 21 finishers got 20 miles done on a warm afternoon — Iritani just made it look the most effortless.