M40-49: Jacob Rydman Owns the Age Group

• Solo winner: Jacob Rydman was the only M40-49 finisher, crossing in 6:41:38 — an 8:02/mi average across 50 miles.
• Consistent men's presence: Rydman held 2nd among men from the first checkpoint through the finish, never wavering from that spot across all six tracked segments.
• Strong late-race legs: Rydman posted the fastest men's split on Lap 5 and Lap 6, closing the back half of the race with his sharpest running.

Jacob Rydman made the M40-49 result straightforward: he was the only finisher in the group, and he did it in 6:41:38 on a cold, wet Sacramento morning — 51°F, light rain, and 14 mph wind making every mile a little harder than the numbers alone suggest.

What the solo finish obscures is how well Rydman actually raced. Sitting 2nd among men from start to finish, he was a fixture near the front of the men's field all day. And when the race entered its final stretch, he turned up the heat — logging the fastest men's split on both Lap 5 and Lap 6, which is exactly when most runners are managing survival rather than pushing pace.

At 8:02 per mile for 50 miles in those conditions, Rydman's effort stands on its own. No one in M40-49 came close — because no one else made it to the finish line.