M45-49 Half Marathon: Bielecki edges Allen in a London-to-Oakland showdown

• Andrzej Bielecki (London) won M45-49 in 1:28:58 (6:47/mi), the only finisher in the group to break 1:29.
• Adonis Allen (Oakland) was 24 seconds back in 2nd at 1:29:22 — the gap between 2nd and 3rd was a much wider 4:48.
• Aaron OFearghail and Gili Ovadia fought a close battle for the final podium spot, separated by just 9 seconds — 1:34:10 to 1:34:19.
• A cluster of five men finished between 1:39:31 and 1:39:46 (8th through 12th), the tightest pack anywhere in the top 20.

Andrzej Bielecki, representing London in a field of 282 M45-49 finishers, ran the most commanding race at the front. His 6:47/mi average was the only sub-1:29 effort in the group, and he backed it up with one of the stronger early splits — his 1.81M–5.34M segment ranked among the top 25 men's splits on that stretch across the entire field. He moved from 40th among men at the first checkpoint all the way to 28th by mile ten before settling into 34th at the line, a trajectory that tells the story of a runner who found his rhythm and held it.

Oakland's Adonis Allen gave chase throughout, running 6:49/mi to finish 2nd in 1:29:22. Allen actually posted the 33rd-fastest men's split on the 5.34M–6.15M segment, a stretch where he was clearly pressing. The 24-second gap to Bielecki at the finish reflects just how consistently the winner ran — Allen was competitive but never quite closed the distance.

The battle for 3rd was the race's most dramatic subplot. Aaron OFearghail of Dun Laoghaire (1:34:10, 7:11/mi) held off Orinda's Gili Ovadia (1:34:19, 7:12/mi) by nine seconds — a margin built over 13.1 miles. OFearghail ran a strong closing stretch, posting the 49th-fastest men's split on the 11.05M-to-finish segment, while Ovadia's best work came in the middle miles (6.15M–10.54M, 68th-fastest men's split). Pacifica's Edmund Hart (5th, 1:35:26) also closed well with the 50th-fastest men's split on that same final segment, but the gap to the podium was just too large to overcome.