Rio Del Lago 50K M50-59: Novak Leads a Strong Sacramento-Area Sweep

• Ben Novak won the M50-59 group in 5:42:19 (11:01/mi), finishing 7 minutes and 31 seconds clear of runner-up Daniel Jones.
• The top five were separated by just 24:51 — with 4th and 5th (Stramel and Perlberg) split by only 38 seconds.
• Sean Davis made the most dramatic move of the race, surging from 30th to 15th among men through the middle miles before settling into 3rd.
• All seven M50-59 finishers completed the course, spanning a range of nearly 3 hours from Novak's winning time to Michael Trapp's 8:39:02.

Ben Novak controlled the M50-59 race from start to finish, running a measured 11:01/mi to claim the group win in 5:42:19. His position among the men's field held remarkably steady through the early checkpoints before he picked up ground in the back half, climbing from 21st to 15th among men by the finish — a sign of pacing discipline paying off late in the race.

Daniel Jones ran a smart, progressive race of his own. Starting 29th among men, he worked his way up to 17th by the finish with a 5:49:50 effort (11:16/mi), never far from Novak's shadow. Sean Davis was the group's most aggressive mover — he rocketed from 30th to 15th among men through the middle stretch, posting the 15th-fastest split on the Willow Creek–Beals Point segment, before a slight fade left him 3rd in 5:57:02. It was still a strong result, just 14:43 behind the winner.

The battle for 4th was the tightest of the day. Adam Stramel and Chris Perlberg ran nearly identical races — Stramel in 6:06:32, Perlberg in 6:07:10 — separated by just 38 seconds after more than six hours on the trail. Stramel had flashed as high as 14th among men at one point before fading back, while Perlberg ran a steadier, more conservative line throughout. Devasrinivas Yelisetti and Michael Trapp rounded out the seven-man field, both finishing and earning every bit of their times on a warm November day in Granite Bay.