Barks & Brews 5K: Dawnelle Sauve wins the F75-79 age group

• Dawnelle Sauve took the F75-79 title in 31:55 — more than 6 minutes 57 seconds clear of second place.
• Ursula Uhlir ran the strongest second half in the group, posting the 281st-fastest women's split on the second half to hold second place in 38:52.
• Sandra Jochim and Lois Ranftle both found their best legs late, each recording their strongest women's split on the 3M→Finish stretch to close out their races.
• Five women aged 75–79 finished a 5K on a warm Sacramento morning — that alone is worth noting.

Dawnelle Sauve, 75, from Rancho Murieta, was never seriously threatened in the F75-79 age group. She ran a steady 10:17/mi pace from the gun and crossed in 31:55, the only finisher in the group to break 40 minutes. Her gender place did slip from 147th to 182nd through the middle miles — the 1M→2M segment was her toughest stretch relative to the broader women's field — but she steadied over the final mile and came home comfortably clear.

Ursula Uhlir, 77, of Fair Oaks, was the group's mover on the day. She actually climbed through the women's field as the race wore on, improving from 326th at the first mile to 295th at the finish, and her second-half split was her sharpest stretch. She crossed in 38:52 at 12:31/mi to claim second. Nancy Tellefson, 76, from Auburn, completed the podium in 43:29, running a consistent if slightly fading race to finish third.

Sandra Jochim and Lois Ranftle, both Sacramento locals, rounded out the five-woman group. Jochim finished fourth in 57:51 and Ranftle fifth in 1:06:29 — and both saved something for the closing stretch, each posting their best split relative to the women's field on the final 3M-to-finish segment. In a 5K under clear Sacramento skies, all five women in their mid-to-late 70s got it done.