M20-24 at CIM 2024: Teeter runs down the field to claim the age group

• Charlie Teeter wins M20-24 in 2:18:52 (5:18/mi), holding off Esteban Prado by 49 seconds.
• Prado's 30K–35K segment was one of the sharpest in the entire men's field at that stretch, ranking 26th-fastest among men on that split.
• Xavier Smith and Jacob Kocis finished 3rd and 4th separated by just six seconds (2:22:41 vs. 2:22:47), both averaging 5:27/mi.
• 273 finishers completed the M20-24 race on a mild Sacramento morning — 59°F, light wind, and scattered clouds.

Charlie Teeter of Webster Groves, MO made his move count when it mattered. After sitting as low as 45th among men at the midpoint, he steadily reeled the field back in, climbing to 36th among men by the finish and taking the M20-24 title in 2:18:52. His closing 40K-to-finish segment ranked 23rd-fastest among men in that stretch — a decisive push through the final miles that cemented his win.

Esteban Prado of Fountain Valley, CA was Teeter's closest challenger, crossing in 2:19:41 at 5:20/mi. Prado showed real strength through the 30K–35K stretch, posting the 26th-fastest men's split on that segment, and he held his men's position steady across the second half. The 49-second gap between first and second was comfortable enough that Teeter never had to look over his shoulder in the final kilometers.

The battle for the final podium spot had real drama. Xavier Smith (Lake Forest, CA) and Jacob Kocis (Midway, KY) ran nearly identical races — both averaged 5:27/mi and both posted strong 20K-to-half splits that ranked 41st and 42nd among men respectively. Kocis actually moved more aggressively through the early miles, climbing from 83rd to 52nd among men by 35K, but Smith held him off by six seconds at the line, 2:22:41 to 2:22:47.

Fifth-place Brenden Sands (Flagstaff, AZ, 2:26:06) ran well through the middle of the race but faded slightly over the final stretch, slipping from 57th to 69th among men in the closing miles. Behind him, a tight cluster of runners — Nathan Kutscher, Brint Laubach, Mylan Nocton, Dawson Andrews, and Taylor Myers — all finished within 66 seconds of each other from 6th through 10th, rounding out a deep and competitive M20-24 field.