American River 50 — F60-69: Ishizawa Runs Down the Field

• Nancy Ishizawa won the F60-69 age group in 11:54:15 (14:17/mi), climbing from 23rd to 16th among women across the race.
• Sarah Estrella finished 2nd in F60-69 in 13:00:40 (15:37/mi), gaining 12 spots in the women's field from start to finish.
• Ishizawa posted the 13th-fastest women's split on the second half of the course; Estrella countered with the 24th-fastest women's split on the Beals Point→Rattlesnake Bar segment.
• The gap between the two finishers was 1:06:25 — a wide margin, but both were still moving steadily through 50 miles of Auburn terrain on a clear, mild April day.

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With just two finishers in the F60-69 age group at the 2025 American River 50, the story isn't about a crowded leaderboard — it's about two 60-year-olds covering 50 miles through the canyons outside Auburn, and doing it with purpose.

Nancy Ishizawa was the dominant force. Running a 14:17/mi average across the full 50, she didn't just hold position — she hunted. Starting 23rd among women, she worked her way steadily forward through every checkpoint, arriving at the finish 16th in the women's field. That kind of sustained forward movement over the back half of a 50-miler is a statement, and her 13th-fastest women's split on the second half confirms she wasn't coasting to the tape.

Sarah Estrella told a similar story of forward progress, even if the clock showed a larger gap. Starting 42nd among women, she clawed her way to 30th by the finish — a net gain of 12 places. Her strongest segment came on the Beals Point to Rattlesnake Bar stretch, where she posted the 24th-fastest women's split, a stretch where many runners begin to feel the full weight of the miles behind them.

An hour and six minutes separated them at the line, but both women finished what is one of the most demanding 50-milers in California. In a field that had plenty of runners to chase, they kept chasing.