Masters Men: Thigpen Runs Sub-3 to Claim the Crown in Bismarck

• Jared Thigpen won the Masters Men race in 2:59:57 (6:52/mi), the only finisher to crack three hours in a field of 49.
• Runner-up Ryan Bullington finished in 3:06:45 — a gap of 6:48 back — while Jeremiah Bartz rounded out the podium in 3:18:13.
• Jerod Tufte was one of the day's notable movers, climbing from 29th among men at the early going all the way to 18th by mile 21.9 before settling 5th in Masters Men at 3:26:31.
• Calvin Shiroma, 64, of Honolulu, finished 9th in 3:45:53 — the oldest finisher among the listed athletes and a long way from home.

Thirty-nine degrees, clear skies, and a stiff 86% humidity greeted the Masters Men in Bismarck — cold enough to keep times honest, damp enough to make every mile feel earned. Jared Thigpen of Louisville, CO made the most of it, running a measured 6:52/mi pace to finish in 2:59:57 and become the only man in the Masters field to dip under three hours. He held steady at 10th among all men through much of the race before surging to 9th in the back half, posting the 6th-fastest men's split in the field on the 16.1M–18.5M stretch — a decisive move that left no doubt about the outcome.

Ryan Bullington of Wheaton, IL was the clear runner-up, crossing in 3:06:45 at a 7:07/mi clip. He worked his way forward steadily through the men's field — moving from 14th to 11th among men by the finish — and backed it up with the 9th-fastest men's split on the 21.9M–23.8M segment, a strong close when legs are typically screaming. Jeremiah Bartz of Grand Forks, ND was a model of consistency, holding 15th among men from nearly the first checkpoint to the last, finishing 3rd in Masters Men in 3:18:13.

The battle for 4th through 6th was tight but clear. Chin Chang Hsu (3:25:38), Jerod Tufte (3:26:31), and Mark Sailer (3:28:03) were separated by just over two minutes across three places. Tufte's journey was the most dramatic of the group — he was 29th among men early on and clawed his way into the top 20 overall, logging the 17th-fastest men's split on the 16.1M–18.5M segment along the way. Sailer, representing Zap, ND, rounded out the top six in 3:28:03.