Masters Men at Rio Del Lago 100: Rydman Surges to the Front and Never Looks Back

• Jacob Rydman wins in 17:31:49 (10:31/mi), climbing from 7th to 1st in the men's field and posting the fastest split on the Granite Beach 1→Rattlesnake Bar 1 segment.
• John Lofthus closes 2nd in 18:28:14, running the fastest Cool→No Hands 2 split to finish 56:25 behind Rydman — with Dennis Boic (2nd-fastest on that same segment) another 1:03:05 back in 3rd at 19:31:19.
• Jeremy Meyers delivers the comeback of the race, moving from 53rd to 10th in the men's field en route to 5th in Masters Men at 20:51:26 — edging 4th-place Alex Suchey (20:53:10) by under two minutes after the pair ran neck-and-neck through the back half.
• 81 Masters Men finished across conditions of 72°F and clear skies, with times ranging from Rydman's 17:31 to well past the 24-hour mark.

Jacob Rydman of Auburn, CA turned this race into a masterclass in patient aggression. He entered the men's field in 7th place early, then methodically climbed — 5th, 3rd, 2nd — before seizing the lead and holding it through the finish at 17:31:49. His 10:31/mi average over 100 miles is a number that demands respect, and his fastest-in-the-field split on the Granite Beach 1→Rattlesnake Bar 1 stretch was the engine behind his move to the front. Once he got there, he didn't relinquish it.

John Lofthus (18:28:14, 11:05/mi) was relentless in his own right, tracking from 9th down to 4th in the men's field before settling into 5th by the finish — good for 2nd among Masters Men. His fastest Cool→No Hands 2 split showed he still had legs deep into the race. Dennis Boic of Redding ran a composed 19:31:19 (11:43/mi), holding a steady position in the men's field and posting the 2nd-fastest split on that same Cool→No Hands 2 segment to lock up 3rd.

The subplot that kept the Masters Men race alive through the final miles was the battle for 4th and 5th. Jeremy Meyers of Cool, CA — fitting hometown for an ultrarunner — launched from 53rd in the men's field all the way to 10th, a charge fueled by the 3rd-fastest Rattlesnake Bar 2→Granite Beach 2 split. He crossed in 20:51:26 to edge Alex Suchey (20:53:10, 3rd-fastest on Overlook 2→Rattlesnake Bar 2) by just 1:44 — two men who ran very different races to arrive at nearly the same moment.

Behind the top five, the Masters Men field spread across the clock in a testament to what the distance demands: Ray Sanchez (21:37:05), David Aguayo (21:41:09), and Jesse Strom (21:43:33) finished within seven minutes of each other in 8th through 6th, while 81 men in total made it to the finish line across a long California day and night.