M55-59: Jason Lienau Runs Away from the Field in Fresno

• Lienau wins by over 9 minutes, finishing in 42:17 at a 6:48/mi pace — a commanding margin over 2nd-place Jason Quigley's 51:18.
• Quigley and Herms battle for the podium, separated by just 35 seconds (51:18 vs. 51:53) in a tight race for 2nd in the M55-59 group.
• Lienau's closing kick was elite-level: he posted the 13th-fastest 1M-to-finish split among all men, moving from 38th to 10th in the men's field over that final stretch.
• 25 finishers completed the M55-59 race, with finish times ranging from 42:17 to well over 90 minutes.

Jason Lienau turned the M55-59 race into a solo time trial. The 56-year-old from Clovis crossed in 42:17 — a 6:48/mi clip on a warm November morning in Fresno, with temperatures at 74°F and clear skies. That pace was good enough to move him from 38th to 10th in the men's field over the final mile, and his 1M-to-finish split ranked 13th among all men in the race. Nobody in the M55-59 group was in the same conversation.

Behind Lienau, the real drama unfolded between the two Jasons and Ronald Herms. Quigley (age 55, Fresno) held 2nd with a 51:18, but Herms (age 58, Clovis) pressed him hard all the way to the line, finishing just 35 seconds back in 51:53. Both men also made strong moves in the final mile — Quigley climbing from 77th to 53rd among men, Herms from 98th to 58th — suggesting neither was coasting to the finish.

The 4th and 5th spots were nearly as competitive. Matt Britter (56:01) and Shaz Jahromi (56:24) were separated by only 23 seconds, with Vicente Santiago just 10 seconds further back at 56:34 to round out the top six. That 33-second window covering three athletes made for a lively mid-pack race within the M55-59 group. From 7th place onward, the field spread out considerably, with the final listed finisher Steve Conner crossing at 1:38:25 — a reminder of the full range of effort and ambition that filled out all 25 spots on the day.