Two Cities Marathon champion broke record, but missed his goal by less than five seconds

Of the nearly 3,000 runners who competed in one of the four races that were part of the 15th edition of the Two Cities Marathon & Half Marathon on Sunday, only one laced up his shoelaces knowing he would dominate the 26.2-mile race that snaked its way through Fresno and Clovis trails and roads.

It was no secret that C.J. Albertson would capture his third Two Cities title, despite a hamstring tendon injury that impacted his training leading up to the race.

The only question: Would Albertson – who has already qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February in Orlando, Florida – finish in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 30 seconds or less?

Albertson, running alone and finishing more than 6 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher, timed 2:11:34.57.

The 2:11:30 is the marathon time standard imposed by World Athletics, the governing body for running/walking competitions, for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. If for some reason the U.S. Olympic Trials result in times slower than the qualifying standard of 2:18, those who have broken 2:11:30 on a sanctioned course would qualify.

In April 2022, Albertson clocked a personal-best 2:10:23 at the Boston Marathon, but that course is not sanctioned by World Athletics.

Albertson finished in a Two Cities’ record 2:11:34.57 on a course that was specifically certified by World Athletics. Albertson gave up his Two Cities prize winning of $3,000 to pay for the certification.

“I don’t really get anything out of this race, other than it was a good training run, I guess,” said Albertson, who dashed out of the marathon to go shower and make it to his son’s birthday celebration. “Obviously, because I missed it by four seconds it was kind of a waste of a day.”

He figured a sub-2:11:30 finish would serve as insurance.

Albertson ran 5:01 miles during his race, but he would have met his goal by running .17 seconds faster per mile.

The Buchanan High grad realized his watch was not synchronizing with the mile markers on the course. “I knew I was slowing down a little bit, but I thought I was still good,” he said.

Albertson actually thought he would miss his goal by at least 20 seconds.

It has been a hectic week for Albertson, who coaches the Clovis Community College cross country teams. Friday, he was in the East Bay city of Martinez as the Crush men and women captured the Northern California Regionals.

Then he quickly got back to Fresno for a Friday evening wedding rehearsal for his brother. The wedding was Saturday, and Sunday was his son’s birthday.

In the end, Albertson admits the World Athletics standard “is kind of confusing.”

“I don’t think it’s going to end up mattering,” he said. “It’s just kind of if I could (have gotten 2:11:30) it just gives you that assurance and I won’t have to worry about time at all at the trials.”

Albertson remains excited about his cross country team’s chance at testing their strength about Southern California competition at the Nov. 18 state meet at Woodward Park.

This San Diego runner qualified for Olympic trials

One runner who was pleased with his time was Dylan Marx, a 31-year-old runner from San Diego. His 2:17:46.96 qualified him for the marathon trials.

In 2020, he placed 35th at the Olympic marathon trials and has since battled injuries. His goal Sunday was to break 2:18 and get a ticket to the U.S. Olympic trials.

“Ecstatic! I knew the pace was going to be easy and it was just a matter of checking the boxes every mile,” said Marx, who said his pace allowed him to deal with “some stomach stuff” that came up.

Marx called the course “phenomenal.”

“I’d recommend anyone trying to qualify for Boston to come here,” he said.

Third-place finisher Patrick Fernández, who lives and trains on Catalina Island, finished in 2:19:31.6.

“It was my first time getting back into road marathoning since post-COVID,” said Fernández, 36. “I really like the course and the weather. This time of year here in Fresno is usually ideal.”

Fernández said it was motivating to compete against runners like Albertson. “I broke the 2:20 barrier, and that’s a big PR for me,” he said.

Women’s winner opted to race rather than pace

Maria Grace had planned to be a pacer at the Two Cities Marathon, but upon finding out she would be one of the top female runners the 32-year-old Visalia resident opted to race.

Her decision worked out well. She timed a personal record of 2:50:22.93 to win the women’s marathon.

“I didn’t look at my watch for the last few miles,” she said. “I just ran with my heart and got a PR. I’m really tired and really happy.”

Her result is a far cry from 2019 when she ran her first marathon.

“I got a 3:58 because I forgot that I had deferred from the year before, so I didn’t train,” said Grace. “I just kind of ran it and I figured I could get faster from there. I guess I was right.”

Grace was 14th overall.

Finishing second in the women’s race was Ramona Sánchez of Nevada in 2:53:26.98. Third was Fresno resident Gracielita Bastidas in 3:01:21.61.

About that Boise State fan …

Meet William Ramírez, a 27-year-old Las Vegas casino worker, who has tortured Bulldog fans by running either the half or full marathon in the Boise State colors.

Sunday, he struggled at the end of the half marathon (2:32:27.93), a day after the Bulldogs topped the visiting Broncos, 37-30.

“It’s always good coming back to the community,” said Ramírez, who attended Clovis North before moving out of Fresno. “There’s a lot of fan support; they show a lot of respect. In the end, we’re all one team.”

How did Ramírez become a Boise State fan?

Credit, or blame, his older sister who played tennis at Boise State. “I just became a huge fan ever since,” he said.

Ramírez, who also attended Fresno City College, runs in Boise State colors to raise suicide prevention awareness. He had suicidal thoughts early in life, and compares the trials and tribulations of marathon running to life.

“I remember my first marathon ever,” he said. “My legs gave out on me at mile 13 and I could compare it to a suicide.

“It’s so easy to give up in life, but there’s so many people out there supporting you. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, and (Two Cities) is just an amazing event every single year.”

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