M1-19: Micah Bauer Wins a Sub-2:30 Showdown at CIM

• Micah Bauer (Traverse City, MI) took the M1-19 title in 2:28:25 (5:40/mi), the only finisher in the group to break 2:30.
• Nathan Kutscher was a clear runner-up in 2:32:58 — 4:33 back — with a strong closing stretch that moved him from 389th to 270th among men over the course of the race.
• Dylan Anspach claimed 3rd in 2:49:18, logging the fastest 35K→40K split among the top three in the group.
• Two 15-year-olds — Isan Skarbinski (Berkeley) and Jeremy Rivers (Georgetown, TX) — finished 7th and 13th respectively, among the youngest in a 41-finisher field.

Micah Bauer ran a composed, confident race — but it wasn't without a late-race test. His position among the men's field drifted steadily from the midpoint onward, sliding from around 172nd at 5K all the way back to 193rd by 35K, suggesting the 63°F morning and accumulated miles were taking their toll on the broader field around him. But Bauer held his form where it mattered: he clawed back ground over the final stretch, recovering to 182nd among men at the finish. His 5:40/mi average over 26.2 miles is a genuinely impressive mark for any age group.

Nathan Kutscher told the opposite story. Starting conservatively — nearly 390th among men at 5K — he reeled in competitors steadily and methodically across every checkpoint, finishing 270th among men. That kind of sustained forward momentum over a full marathon is difficult to execute, and Kutscher made it look structured. The gap to Bauer was 4:33, which is significant, but the trajectory suggests Kutscher ran a smarter early race.

Dylan Anspach (3rd, 2:49:18) and Zachary Heberlein (4th, 2:52:16) were separated by under three minutes, with Kaden Reeder (5th, 2:52:38) just 22 seconds further back — a tight three-way contest for the final podium spots. Reeder's best segment came early, posting a strong 15K→Half split, while Anspach found his legs late with the fastest 35K→40K split of the trio.

The depth of this group is notable: seven finishers broke 3:00, and Isan Skarbinski's 2:55:56 at age 15 stands out as one of the more remarkable individual performances of the day. With 41 finishers ranging from a 2:28 winner down through the field, the M1-19 group at CIM 2023 delivered a genuinely competitive and wide-ranging race.