M40-49 Solo Act: Ken Bujer Owns the Age Group at Jed Smith 50

• Only finisher in M40-49, Ken Bujer crossed in 7:53:32 — a 9:28/mi average over 50 foggy miles in Sacramento.
• Climbed from 12th to 10th among the men in the back half of the race, picking off two competitors over the final laps.
• Posted the 7th-fastest split among the men on the Lap 6→Lap 7 segment — a standout stretch in an otherwise steady effort.

Ken Bujer had the M40-49 field entirely to himself on Saturday, but the Sacramento fog and 50 miles of road made sure he earned every second of that age-group title. Running a measured 9:28 per mile, he finished in 7:53:32 — a time that required sustained discipline across a long, grinding day.

What makes Bujer's race worth noting beyond the solo victory is how he moved through the men's field in the second half. He held steady at 12th among the men through the early laps, then began to climb — reaching 10th by the finish, passing two competitors in the race's later stages. The most eye-catching moment came on the Lap 6 to Lap 7 segment, where he posted the 7th-fastest men's split of anyone in the field on that stretch, suggesting he found another gear precisely when others were fading.

Fifty miles in dense fog with near-saturation humidity is a particular kind of test — the conditions that quietly sap pace and morale without the drama of heat or wind. Bujer navigated it cleanly, and his late-race movement up the men's standings tells the story of a runner who paced with intent.