F50-59 at American River 50 – 25 Miler: Petrillo Takes the Age Group at 59

• Michelle Petrillo won the F50-59 age group in 5:31:35 (13:16/mi), nearly nine minutes clear of runner-up Beckie Newell.
• Beckie Newell ran the 6th-fastest women's split on the Last Gasp→Finish segment, closing strongly to hold 2nd in 5:40:27.
• A clear two-tier field: Petrillo and Newell finished under 5:41, while the remaining four ranged from 6:46 to 7:50.
• Dawn Savage and Stephanie Perlberg both posted top-20 women's splits on the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar segment, finishing 3rd and 4th in the age group.

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In warm, clear conditions — 73°F with a light breeze — Michelle Petrillo delivered the standout performance of the F50-59 age group. At 59, the oldest finisher in the group, she crossed in 5:31:35 at a 13:16/mi clip, logging the 6th-fastest women's split on the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar segment along the way. She held 6th among all women from that checkpoint onward and never relinquished her age-group lead.

Beckie Newell gave chase and made it interesting on paper — 5:40:27, a 13:37/mi average — but the gap was a firm 8:52, not a battle. What Newell did do well was finish: her 6th-fastest women's split on the Last Gasp→Finish leg showed she had something left when it mattered most, even if the front of the age group was already decided.

Behind them, the race had a different character entirely. Dawn Savage (3rd, 6:46:10) and Stephanie Perlberg (4th, 6:56:46) both worked the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar stretch effectively — 17th and 19th-fastest women's splits respectively — and steadily climbed the overall women's standings across the second half of the race. Gloria Koch (5th, 7:25:08) posted the 22nd-fastest women's split on the Rattlesnake Bar→Last Gasp leg, while Veronica Martinez rounded out the six-finisher group in 7:50:17.

Six women finished for the F50-59 age group on a warm April day in Auburn. The story at the top belonged entirely to Petrillo — the oldest in the group, and the fastest by nearly nine minutes.