Way Too Cool 10M: Skibby edges Fiandaca in a two-man teenage battle

• Cody Skibby, 13, wins M1-19 in 1:50:55 (11:06/mi), holding off 15-year-old Dash Fiandaca by 59 seconds.
• Fiandaca closed hard — his 11:11/mi average was slower overall, but he posted the 9th-fastest split in the men's field on the HWY 49→Finish stretch.
• Skibby answered on the middle segment — his Fire Station→HWY 49 split ranked 11th-fastest among the men, helping him build and protect his lead.

The M1-19 age group came down to just two teenagers, but they gave Cool, CA something to watch. Cody Skibby, at just 13 years old, led from wire to wire in the warmer-than-ideal 69°F conditions, crossing in 1:50:55 at an 11:06/mi clip to claim the age-group win. His closest competition came from 15-year-old Dash Fiandaca of Foresthill — older, but not quite fast enough on the day.

Skibby's race was defined by a strong middle leg. His Fire Station→HWY 49 split was the 11th-fastest among the men, and he was sitting 11th in the men's field at that checkpoint — a sign he was running with purpose well beyond his age group. Fiandaca, meanwhile, drifted back during that stretch, falling to 16th in the men's field before rallying.

That rally was real. Fiandaca's HWY 49→Finish split ranked 9th-fastest among the men — a genuinely strong closing effort that pulled him back to 15th in the men's field. He finished in 1:51:54, running 11:11/mi. He made up ground on the final stretch, but Skibby had done enough in the middle miles to keep 59 seconds of daylight between them at the line.

Two finishers, two teenagers, and a legitimate race within the race — Skibby's win at 13 is the headline, but Fiandaca's closing kick deserves its own note.