M40-49: Chad Thomas Dominates the American River 10 Miler

• Chad Thomas, 43, wins in 1:35:02 — a 9:30/mi pace that put nearly nine minutes between him and 2nd-place Dennis Mui (1:44:03).
• Tomas Tinoco de Rubira climbed from 15th to 10th among men across the race's middle segment, finishing 3rd in M40-49 in 1:52:18.
• Rich Stuart made an even bolder charge, moving from 19th to 11th among men to claim 4th in the age group at 1:55:02 — posting the 10th-fastest men's split on the Last Gasp→Finish stretch.
• Eleven men finished M40-49, with a spread of nearly two hours from Thomas's 1:35:02 to Brian Park's 3:28:53.

Chad Thomas made this one look controlled from the start. Running a steady 9:30/mi on a warm April day in Auburn — 73°F and clear — he held 4th among men through every checkpoint and never wavered. His pace on the Rattlesnake Bar→Last Gasp segment was the 4th-fastest men's split on that stretch, and he crossed the line with a gap large enough to render the rest of the M40-49 podium a race entirely their own.

Behind Thomas, Dennis Mui (1:44:03, 10:24/mi) had a story of his own. Mui slipped from 5th to 9th among men through the middle of the course before rallying on the final Last Gasp→Finish leg — where he posted the 4th-fastest men's split — to recover to 8th among men and lock up 2nd in the age group. It was a finish-line surge that mattered, even if Thomas was long gone.

Third through fifth told a tale of steady pressure. Tinoco de Rubira (1:52:18) and Stuart (1:55:02) both climbed through the men's field as the race wore on, finishing just 2:44 apart after ten miles of work. Michael Schoeck rounded out the top five in 2:00:08 at 12:01/mi, moving from 16th to 13th among men. Further back, Chris Bruns (2:05:11), Ruben Vivar (2:14:25), Jeremy Tindle (2:26:31), Jason Kent (2:33:39), Nick Evans (2:52:43), and Brian Park (3:28:53) each made their way through the Auburn heat to complete the field of eleven.