M40-49 at Jed Smith Ultra Classic 50K: Kaszkur Steals the Crown in the Final Miles

• Piotr Kaszkur, 43, wins M40-49 in 3:36:03 (6:57/mi), overtaking Karl Schnaitter — who led the men's field for the first six checkpoints — only in the race's final stretch.
• Kaszkur and Schnaitter finished 1:44 apart; Schnaitter's 3:37:47 (7:01/mi) was still a commanding runner-up showing in a field of seven.
• David Horton, 49, ran the strongest early race among the three leaders, posting the 2nd-fastest men's split on the Out & Back through Lap 1 segment, and held 3rd place wire-to-wire, finishing in 3:53:08 — more than five minutes clear of 4th.
• A significant gap split the field in two: Bjorn Monteen (4:59:05) and Brian Boyer (5:01:55) were separated by just 2:50, while the top three all finished under 3:54.

Sacramento's cold, wet February morning — 51°F, light rain, 14 mph wind — set a demanding stage, and the M40-49 race delivered a genuine lead-change story. Karl Schnaitter, 42, out of Santa Cruz, ran at the front of the men's field from the opening checkpoint, posting the fastest men's split across the Out & Back into Lap 1 and carrying that momentum through checkpoint after checkpoint. For most of the race, this looked like his to lose.

Piotr Kaszkur had other ideas. The 43-year-old from Gold River started 5th among the men and climbed steadily — 4th, then 2nd — before settling into a patient second place for the middle portion of the race. The decisive move came on Laps 2 and 3, where Kaszkur posted the fastest men's splits of that segment, finally wresting the lead from Schnaitter in the race's closing miles and holding it to the finish line.

David Horton was the quiet anchor of the podium. The 49-year-old from Piedmont moved up to 2nd early and never fell below 3rd, running a disciplined 7:30/mi to finish in 3:53:08 — a full 15 minutes behind Kaszkur, but a solid 1:05:57 ahead of the next finisher.

Behind the top three, Bjorn Monteen and Brian Boyer waged a separate battle around the five-hour mark, with Boyer closing the gap to just 2:50 by the finish. Jonathan Lettieri and Chewey Bk Lam rounded out the seven-man M40-49 field, finishing in 5:52:35 and 6:06:46 respectively.