M30-39: Scott Beard Runs Away With It in Auburn

• Scott Beard, 36, wins M30-39 in 3:42:23 (8:54/mi) — nearly 54 minutes clear of 2nd place.
• Bryan Mazza edges Daniel Toberman for 2nd: just 2:23 separates them at 4:39:22 vs. 4:36:59 — with Toberman holding the gap throughout.
• Mazza made moves: he came through the early checkpoints in 6th among men before climbing to 5th, while Toberman held steady in 4th from start to finish.
• Beard posted the fastest Rattlesnake Bar→Last Gasp split among the men in this group, a stretch that underscored just how dominant his day was.

Scott Beard made this one look easy. The Rancho Cordova 36-year-old led the men's standings from the first checkpoint to the last, running 8:54 per mile across 25 miles of Auburn terrain on a near-perfect racing day — 61°F, clear skies, barely a breath of wind. His 3:42:23 wasn't just a win; it was a statement, arriving nearly 54 minutes ahead of anyone else in the M30-39 group.

Behind him, the real drama played out between Daniel Toberman and Bryan Mazza. Toberman, 35, of Folsom, held 4th among men throughout and crossed in 4:36:59. Mazza, 38 from El Dorado, was a position back at the early checkpoints but reeled Toberman in over the final stretch — only to fall 2:23 short at the line. Toberman takes 2nd in M30-39; Mazza earns 3rd. Mazza did post the 4th-fastest Rattlesnake Bar→Last Gasp split among the men, suggesting he had genuine late-race momentum — just not quite enough runway.

Ryan Russo rounded out the top four in 4:48:10, logging the 6th-fastest Last Gasp→Finish split in the men's field — a solid close to a 11:32/mi effort. Garrison Weekes and Tyler Marchini completed the six-man M30-39 field, finishing in 5:52:36 and 6:16:56 respectively, with Marchini — the youngest of the group at 30 — bringing it home last. Six finishers, one runaway winner, and a genuine battle for the podium: the M30-39 race delivered on both counts.