Men's Ultramarathon: Carson Clowes Settles Old Business at 52.4 Miles

• Carson Clowes wins in 6:30:42 — just 27 seconds slower than his own 2023 runner-up time of 6:37:19... wait, faster: he ran 6:37:19 in 2023 to finish 2nd, and 6:30:42 here to win — a 6:37 improvement and the title to go with it.
• Closest battle on the podium: Tilman Dette (2nd, 6:54:07) and Elti Hoxha (3rd, 6:55:09) were separated by just 62 seconds across 52.4 miles.
• Ryan Philip's back-half surge: The 22-year-old from Asheville moved from 12th to 7th on the second marathon leg, posting the 5th-fastest closing split in the men's field.
• Bradley Fenner, 59, finishes 7th in 7:45:19 — the standout age outlier in a field of 77 men.

One year after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge twice and finishing second, Carson Clowes came back to San Francisco and did it right. The 37-year-old from Paso Robles ran a composed 7:27/mi average across all 52.4 miles — posting the fastest closing split (1st Marathon TOD→Finish) among the men — and turned a 2023 near-miss into a 2024 victory. His winning time of 6:30:42 erases the sting of that previous second-place finish by six and a half minutes.

The gap behind him was enormous. Tilman Dette ran a strong 6:54:07 at 7:54/mi to claim second, with Elti Hoxha of Heidelberg just 62 seconds back in third (6:55:09, 7:55/mi). Notably, Hoxha had posted the 4th-fastest closing split despite entering the second loop in 2nd place overall — he faded in the standings even while running well, a sign of how competitive the back half became. Tyler Rocha (4th, 7:18:13) held his position steady throughout, while Ryan Philip was the day's biggest mover: the 22-year-old climbed from 12th to 7th with a 5th-fastest closing split, finishing in 7:42:27.

The mid-pack delivered its own intrigue. Jesse Larios (6th, 7:43:04) and Philip finished just 37 seconds apart after 52.4 miles of racing through San Francisco's fog and hills. Bradley Fenner — 59 years old and from nearby Corte Madera — finished 7th in 7:45:19, one of the most quietly impressive results in the men's field. Alan Hyland (8th, 7:48:19) and James Tung (9th, 7:49:16) rounded out the top ten, with 77 men in total completing one of the rare urban ultras on the American racing calendar.