Masters Male at Jed Smith Ultra Classic 50 Mile: Stowers Dominates in the Fog

• Steve Stowers, 60, wins in 6:47:29 — an 8:09/mi average across 50 miles in dense Sacramento fog.
• Gap to 2nd: Stowers finished over an hour ahead of Ken Bujer (7:53:32), a margin of 1:06:03.
• Bujer edges Hall by a wide margin: Ken Bujer's 7:53:32 beats Elijah Hall's 9:28:19 by 1:34:47 for the runner-up spot.
• Late surge from Stowers: After sitting 7th among men through the middle laps, Stowers climbed back to 5th among men by the finish — and posted the 4th-fastest split among men on the Lap 6→Lap 7 stretch.

In a three-man Masters Male field at the Jed Smith Ultra Classic 50 Mile, Steve Stowers of Bozeman, MT made a statement from start to finish. Running through 50°F fog with 93% humidity on the Sacramento course, the 60-year-old held steady through the early laps before finding another gear late in the race. His 8:09/mi average over 50 miles is a serious effort under any conditions, and his climb from 7th to 5th among men in the final laps — punctuated by the 4th-fastest men's split on Lap 6→Lap 7 — showed he finished with more life than most.

Ken Bujer, 41, of Arnold, CA secured second in 7:53:32, running 9:28/mi across the distance. Bujer was consistent through the middle miles, moving from 12th to 10th among men by the end, and posted the 7th-fastest men's split on the Lap 6→Lap 7 segment. The gap to Stowers was simply too large to close — over an hour separated them at the line.

Elijah Hall, 52, of Sacramento, CA rounded out the Masters Male field in 9:28:19, averaging 11:22/mi. Hall showed his best relative speed early — posting the 9th-fastest men's split on Lap 1→Lap 2 — but faded through the middle laps, sliding from 9th to 12th among men before recovering slightly to 11th, then finishing 12th. The 1:34:47 gap back to Bujer reflects a tough day on a long course, but finishing 50 miles under any conditions earns its own respect.