Boys Take on Broken Arrow: Ketch Skaggs Leads the Charge at 6,880 Feet

• Ketch Skaggs, age 11, won the men's field in 38:27 (8:25/mi) — beating a field full of 13-year-olds to the finish line.
• Ari Eberly was 2nd in 38:52, just 25 seconds back — the closest gap on the podium.
• Owen Vaughan and Syrus Hansen finished 9th and 10th in a near-photo-finish: 47:26.11 vs. 47:26.28 — separated by just 0.17 seconds.
• 33 boys finished the 4.6-mile course through Olympic Valley's high-elevation terrain, ranging in age from 10 to 13.

An 11-year-old from Glenwood, New Mexico, won this race outright. Ketch Skaggs crossed in 38:27 at 8:25/mi — a pace that held up through a course ranging from 6,260 to 7,500 feet above sea level. For many of these boys, that elevation alone is a challenge, and Skaggs ran through it with a composure that most of the older competition couldn't match. The win is all the more striking given that the bulk of the field was 13-year-olds — two full years older.

Ari Eberly of Gunnison, Colorado gave him the closest chase, finishing 2nd in 38:52 at 8:31/mi. That 25-second gap was the tightest on the podium. Benjamin Castellanos was 3rd in 39:56, with Mark Batres (40:39) and Sean Daane (40:48) rounding out the top five — all 13-year-olds clustered within about 50 seconds of each other for 3rd through 5th. Ryland Schwing finished 6th in 41:41 to close out the lead pack, while Nico Batres — another 11-year-old — came in 7th at 44:00, a strong showing in his own right.

The race's most gripping moment of precision came near the back of the top ten. Owen Vaughan (9th, 47:26.11) and Syrus Hansen (10th, 47:26.28) finished 0.17 seconds apart after covering 4.6 miles of mountain terrain — a margin that makes the timing chip feel almost unnecessary. Further down, Tarn Lynch of Tahoe City stood out as the youngest finisher listed: 10 years old, 15th in 54:40. Peter Doud rounded out the top 20 in 59:42, with 13 more finishers completing the field across all 33 boys who made it to the line.