M30-39: Mike B Edges Out a Thriller at the Top

• Mike B wins in 5:36:23 (13:27/mi), holding off Chris Dakessian by just 25 seconds after a relentless charge through the back half of the course.
• Dakessian's middle surge: Dakessian posted the 5th-fastest split in the field on the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar segment, building a cushion — but Mike B answered with the 8th-fastest split on Rattlesnake Bar→Last Gasp to reel him back in.
• Christian Rozo rounds out the podium in 5:44:59 (13:48/mi), finishing 8:36 behind the winner.
• Michael Tredick and Timothy Nuss finish 6th and 7th in 6:11:32 and 6:11:55 respectively — just 23 seconds apart after 25 miles.

The M30-39 race told a story of lead changes and calculated moves across a warm April day in Auburn — 73°F and clear skies made every climb a test of patience. Mike B started conservatively, sitting 24th among the men at the first checkpoint, but ran himself steadily into contention: 16th, then 13th, then a final push to 12th. That progressive climb through the field was the signature of his day.

Chris Dakessian ran the opposite arc. He was as high as 5th among the men through Rattlesnake Bar, where his Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar split ranked 5th in the entire field — a genuinely fast stretch of running. But the back half told a different story, and he faded to 13th among the men by the finish. Mike B, meanwhile, was doing his best work precisely where Dakessian was losing ground, posting the 8th-fastest split in the field on Rattlesnake Bar→Last Gasp. The 25-second gap at the line reflects a real catch-up — Mike B ran that closing stretch faster and earned the win.

Christian Rozo (5:44:59, 13:48/mi) held steady at 14th among the men from mid-race onward to claim third in the M30-39 group, while Jesus Contreras faded from 7th to 17th among the men across the day to finish 4th in 5:56:44. Jake Wittman (5th, 6:08:18) showed life late with the 14th-fastest Last Gasp→Finish split in the field. At the back, Garrett Ramos covered the 25 miles in 8:03:17 — a 19:20/mi average that speaks to just how demanding this course plays in the heat.