NB35-39: Rojanopas Claims a Clear Win in a Two-Runner Showdown

• Jirapat Rojanopas, 36, took the NB35-39 title in 39:04 at a 12:34/mi pace.
• Mel Cuevas, 38, finished 2nd in 46:14 — a gap of 7:10 separating the two finishers.
• The 60°F conditions with a brisk 15 mph wind off the Bay made for a characteristically bracing San Francisco morning.

With just two athletes toeing the line in the NB35-39 field, there was nowhere to hide — every second mattered, and Jirapat Rojanopas made his count. The 36-year-old from San Francisco ran a composed 39:04 at 12:34 per mile to take the win by a commanding seven-minute-and-ten-second margin.

Mel Cuevas, 38, out of Santa Clara, crossed in 46:14 — a 14:53/mi pace that reflects the honest effort of covering 3.1 miles on a famously hilly San Francisco course into a stiff headwind. Cuevas secured 2nd place and can take that result home knowing she was one of only two runners willing to step up in this field on race day.

Rojanopas owned the NB35-39 race from start to finish, and in a field this lean, the victory is no less real — he put significant daylight between himself and the only other competitor. On a cool but windy July morning in the city, he ran a clean, controlled effort to earn the top spot.