Sunday morning’s Modesto Marathon was won by Lupe Palalia, 39, of San Jose, with a time of two hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds. Last year, Palalia finished sixth, with a time of 2:42:58.
This year’s results were posted after confusion on the course resulted in the disqualification of another runner. “The lead bike took the first full marathon runner and turned him around at mile 13 instead of at the correct spot — only 1 Dq,” race director Bree Fitzpatrick told The Bee.”
Lupe Palalia crosses the finish line to win the marathon with a time of 2:35.49. Andy Alfaro aalfaro@modbee.com
The second runner to cross the finish line was 37-year-old Livermore resident Evan Gawlik with a time of two hours, 46 minutes flat.
In third was Jesse Campos, 41, of Fresno, finishing with a time of 2:47:25.
The top three female finishers were:
Kimberly Bermudez, 31, of Burlingame, 2:58:10Caitlin Huang, 25, of Los Gatos, 3:14:53Kari Boutte, 48, of Modesto, 3:20:58.
The runner disqualification Sunday was reminiscent of the 2022 marathon. Fresno native CJ Albertson won that year’s race after initially being disqualified because he was led an extra 400 meters by a police motorcycle officer who was leading the runners. He ran the marathon in 2 hours, 12 minutes and eight seconds, which shattered his previous course record. He also finished first in 2019.
Details on what happened Sunday, and how, were not immediately available.
The Modesto Marathon event includes four events: the full marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k. Total registration Sunday at 2,714, according to Runsignup.com. The most popular run was the half, with 929 registered.
The event was created for, and benefits, the Teens Run Modesto program, “which challenges area youth, especially those at-risk, to experience the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring, and improved physical fitness through a structured training program culminating in the running and completion of the Modesto Marathon,” according to the marathon’s website.
Racers cross the finish line. Andy Alfaro 
A group runs up Ninth Street during the Modesto Marathon in Modesto, Sunday, March 22, 2026. Runners competed in marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K races. Andy Alfaro aalfaro@modbee.com 
Residents of the College neighborhood cheer on runners during the Modesto Marathon in Modesto, Sunday, March 22, 2026. Andy Alfaro aalfaro@modbee.com
This story was originally published March 22, 2026 at 2:03 PM.
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Deke has been an editor and reporter with The Modesto Bee since 1995. He currently does breaking-news, education and human-interest reporting. A Beyer High grad, he studied geology and journalism at UC Davis and CSU Sacramento.