M40-49: Chad Thomas Runs Away With It in Auburn Heat

• Chad Thomas won the M40-49 group in 1:35:02 (9:30/mi), finishing more than 9 minutes clear of runner-up Dennis Mui (1:44:03).
• Thomas held 4th among men from the opening checkpoint all the way to the finish — a model of controlled, consistent racing.
• The biggest mover on the day was Rich Stuart, who climbed from 19th among men at the first checkpoint to 11th by the finish, posting the 10th-fastest men's split on the Last Gasp→Finish segment.
• Eleven men finished across a span of nearly 2 hours, from Thomas's 1:35:02 to Brian Park's 3:28:53.

Chad Thomas made the M40-49 race look straightforward, and the numbers back that up. Running 9:30 per mile through Auburn's warm April conditions — 73°F, clear skies — the 43-year-old from Rocklin locked into 4th among men and never budged, holding that spot at every checkpoint and crossing the line in 1:35:02. That nine-minute cushion over Dennis Mui was not the product of a late surge; Thomas simply ran a cleaner race from wire to wire.

Mui (1:44:03, 10:24/mi) was the group's most dynamic performer in the back half, moving from 9th among men at the middle checkpoint up to 8th by the finish and posting the 4th-fastest men's split on the Last Gasp→Finish segment — a strong close on one of the course's most demanding stretches. Tomas Tinoco de Rubira rounded out the podium in 1:52:18, having also moved well through the field, climbing from 15th among men at the first check to 10th at the line.

Rich Stuart's day told a similar story of patience rewarded. Starting conservatively — 19th among men through the first checkpoint — the 47-year-old from Newcastle steadily reeled in competitors and finished 4th in the group (1:55:02), matching Tinoco de Rubira's 10th-fastest men's split on Last Gasp→Finish. Behind them, Michael Schoeck (2:00:08) and Chris Bruns (2:05:11) rounded out a tight mid-pack, while the back of the field spread considerably, with Brian Park completing the course in 3:28:53 to claim every finisher's place in a tough 10-mile day on the American River trails.