M35-39 at CIM 2024: Schroy Edges Out a Sub-2:26 Showdown

• Brian Schroy (Boulder, CO) won the M35-39 group in 2:25:06 (5:32/mi), holding off Ian Batch by just 13 seconds.
• The top five were separated by only 1:45 — all five men broke 2:27 in mild, near-ideal conditions.
• James Timphony was the biggest mover in the top five, climbing from well outside the top 100 among men at the 10K mark all the way to 77th by the finish.
• 911 men finished in M35-39, making it one of the deepest fields on the course.

Brian Schroy ran a controlled, patient race and earned it the hard way. Starting around 78th among men, he drifted slightly back through the middle miles before unleashing a strong 35K–40K segment — the 52nd-fastest split in the field on that stretch — to reel in the leaders and seal the win at 2:25:06, averaging 5:32 per mile. It was a well-timed surge when it mattered most.

Ian Batch of Vancouver, WA pushed him every step of the way. Batch actually ran a sharper mid-race, climbing from 92nd among men at 10K all the way to 61st by 40K, and posted the 55th-fastest 30K–35K split in the field. In the end, though, 13 seconds separated them at the line — close, but clear. Jeremy Arthur (2:26:27) rounded out the podium in 3rd, with Lionel Montenegro (2:26:43) and James Timphony (2:26:51) completing a remarkably tight top five.

Timphony's race deserves a closer look. He was sitting 127th among men through the opening 10K — a full 65 places behind where he'd eventually finish — and ground his way forward for the entire second half, posting the 60th-fastest 35K–40K split in the field to lock in 5th. Montenegro, by contrast, ran one of the most consistent races of anyone in the group, barely moving in the gender standings from start to finish — a model of even pacing at 5:36 per mile.

Behind the podium, Andy Schweitzer (2:27:33) and Michael Horn (2:28:01) rounded out a strong top seven, both well under 2:29. The depth of the M35-39 group was real: with 911 finishers and five men under 2:27, Sacramento delivered fast times across the board on a cool, calm December morning.