Masters Men at Rio Del Lago 100: Hotaling Dominates, Deep Field Battles Through the Night

• Grant Hotaling wins in 16:34:41 — a 9:57/mi average across 100 miles, finishing more than four hours ahead of the next Masters Men finisher.
• Hotaling posted the fastest men's split on the Overlook 1→No Hands 1 segment, a standout stretch that helped him hold 3rd among all men from mid-race to the finish.
• The podium battle was tight: Ron Skoda (3rd, 20:11:29) and Alexander Suchey (4th, 20:22:33) finished within 11 minutes of each other, while Jesse Haynes (6th, 20:22:05) and Suchey were separated by just 28 seconds — despite very different late-race trajectories.
• Davy Sulock's back-half charge: starting the second half ranked 45th among all men, Sulock climbed all the way to 15th by the finish, posting the 4th-fastest men's split on the Overlook 2→Rattlesnake Bar 2 segment on his way to 2nd in the Masters Men field in 20:38:24.

Grant Hotaling turned this into a one-man show. The Healdsburg native ran 9:57/mi for 100 miles on a cool, clear November morning, and his margin wasn't just a win — it was a statement. He held 3rd among all men for the back half of the race, and his fastest men's split on the Overlook 1→No Hands 1 stretch showed exactly where he pressed his advantage. By the time the rest of the Masters Men field was still deep in the night, Hotaling was already done.

Behind him, the real drama unfolded across a four-hour window. Ron Skoda (50, Novato) ran a controlled race to finish 3rd in 20:11:29, holding 14th among all men for much of the middle stages before closing strong with the 8th-fastest men's split on Overlook 2→Rattlesnake Bar 2. Alexander Suchey (58, Folsom) slotted in 4th at 20:22:33, a remarkable result for the oldest man on the podium. Remarkably, Jesse Haynes (6th, 20:22:05) actually crossed the line 28 seconds ahead of Suchey on the clock, but Suchey's 4th place reflects the finer timing margin that separated them.

Davy Sulock (40, Denver) delivered arguably the most compelling comeback in the Masters Men field. Buried 45th among all men at one checkpoint, he ran himself into 2nd place overall in the Masters field with a 20:38:24 finish, fueled by the 4th-fastest men's split on the Overlook 2→Rattlesnake Bar 2 leg. Further back, Snowbeard Hudelson (60, Davis) became the oldest finisher in the listed field, crossing in 22:51:09 — a 13:43/mi grind through 100 miles that deserves its own round of applause. All told, 85 Masters Men finished Rio Del Lago, a testament to the depth and grit of this field.