M35-39: Gawlik Leads a Fast Livermore Charge Through San Francisco

• Evan Gawlik wins in 1:16:57 (5:52/mi), holding off Jay Patel by 37 seconds in a 309-man field.
• Jay Patel (2nd, 1:17:34) ran the 15th-fastest split among women on the 2M→4M segment — one of the sharpest early moves in the M35-39 field.
• David Urista (3rd, 1:19:47) closed with the 26th-fastest women's split on the 12M→Finish stretch, putting 2:13 between himself and 4th.
• Positions 6–7 came down to 4 seconds: Terry Jiang (6th, 1:25:17) and Rich Griego (7th, 1:25:21) — Griego making the trip from Albuquerque for a result that tight.

Evan Gawlik of Livermore took the M35-39 title in 1:16:57, clocking 5:52 per mile across San Francisco's famously uneven terrain on a breezy 59°F morning. His gender place stayed remarkably stable — hovering between 16th and 18th among all men throughout — a sign of controlled, consistent racing rather than a dramatic surge. He posted the 15th-fastest women's split on the 8M→10M stretch, a segment where many runners fade, and he didn't.

Jay Patel, running his hometown course in San Francisco, was the early aggressor. His 15th-fastest women's split on the 2M→4M segment shows he came out with intent, and he moved from 17th to 15th among men in that stretch before settling back. He finished 2nd in 1:17:34 (5:55/mi) — 37 seconds behind Gawlik, a gap that reflects a real difference in pace over 13.1 miles. David Urista (3rd, 1:19:47, 6:05/mi) was steady from gun to tape, holding 26th among women the entire way and finishing nearly two minutes clear of 4th place.

Steven He (4th, 1:22:41) and Craig Trumbull (5th, 1:23:28) filled out the top five, with Trumbull's gender place drifting from 26th to 41st across the back half — a notable fade against the 17 mph wind that made the final miles a genuine test. Andrew Carrig (11th, 1:28:18, 6:44/mi) and Sean Gibel (12th, 1:28:47, 6:46/mi) ran noticeably different paces despite finishing close, with Carrig holding the edge by 29 seconds. The top 20 spanned just over 15 minutes, with Richard Hsieh rounding out that group in 20th at 1:32:19.