F70-99 at American River 50 Miler 10-Miler: Montuori edges Chvosta in a 70-year-old showdown

• June Montuori won the F70-99 group in 2:25:37 (14:34/mi), holding 19th among women throughout.
• Kiki Chvosta finished 2nd, just 1:58 back at 2:27:35 — both women are 70, making it the closest possible generational matchup.
• Janet Pucci, 76, took 3rd in 2:59:50, becoming the oldest finisher on the podium and the only athlete in the group to break 3 hours from that age bracket.
• Claudia Newsom, 74, closed strongly on the final stretch — her Last Gasp→Finish split ranked 35th among women, one place ahead of Pucci's 34th, gaining three spots in the women's field over that segment to finish in 3:14:09.

Four women aged 70–76 toed the line at Auburn on a crisp, near-perfect April morning — 61°F, barely a breath of wind — and delivered a quietly remarkable race. June Montuori of Auburn set the tone from the start, running a composed 14:34/mi to claim the F70-99 win in 2:25:37. She never wavered in the women's field, holding 19th from start to finish.

Right on her heels was fellow 70-year-old Kiki Chvosta of Sacramento, who matched Montuori's consistency and nearly matched her clock. The 1:58 margin between them is the kind of gap that feels decisive on paper but razor-thin over ten miles — Chvosta's 14:46/mi average was no leisurely effort. Their Last Gasp→Finish splits told a similar story: Montuori ranked 19th among women on that closing segment, Chvosta 21st, meaning neither gave an inch in the stretch run.

Janet Pucci, at 76 the oldest finisher in the group, completed the course in 2:59:50 — a 17:59/mi average that earned her 3rd. Behind her, Claudia Newsom of Rancho Palos Verdes made the day's most notable late move: she climbed from 40th to 37th among women over the final segment, posting the 35th-fastest women's Last Gasp split to finish in 3:14:09. In a group of four, every place mattered — and all four earned theirs.