M40-44: Stephone Paige II Runs Away With It in Fresno

• Stephone Paige II won the M40-44 group in 22:25 (7:13/mi), nearly two minutes clear of the field.
• Nick Bennett took 2nd in 24:23 — a 1:58 gap back to Paige, and a comfortable 1:24 ahead of 3rd.
• Trevor Clinard and Justin Caplinger separated 3rd and 4th by exactly one minute flat (25:47 vs. 26:47).
• 20 men finished in the M40-44 group, spread across a range of more than 41 minutes from first to last.

Under clear Fresno skies and a warm 74°F, Stephone Paige II made the M40-44 race look straightforward. The 40-year-old from Los Angeles posted a 7:13/mi average — a pace none of his 19 competitors could match — and crossed in 22:25, nearly two full minutes ahead of the next man. That kind of margin in a 5K isn't a close race; it's a statement.

Nick Bennett, running on home turf in Fresno, claimed 2nd in 24:23 and kept a clean gap of his own over the rest of the podium. Trevor Clinard (25:47) and Justin Caplinger (26:47) filled out 3rd and 4th, separated by exactly 60 seconds, while Daniel Maychen and Manuel Marez ran nearly in lockstep just behind — 27:06 and 27:17, only 11 seconds apart for 5th and 6th.

The middle of the field clustered between 30 and 39 minutes, with Victor Garibay (30:51) and Ku Vang (31:27) leading that pack before a notable jump to the 34-minute range where Harinder Singh, Daniel Shnapek, and Satwant Singh finished within 16 seconds of each other. At the back, Kar Vang and Brandon Bedrosian both topped an hour, finishing 19th and 20th — a reminder that on a warm November morning, simply finishing a hard effort counts for something.