Boston Marathon F65-69: Rochon Runs Away from the Field

• Lucie Rochon (QC) wins in 3:25:58 (7:51/mi), pulling clear of the women's field in the second half to take the F65-69 title by nearly three minutes.
• Leslie Cohen (CA) runs 3:28:56 to claim second, closing strongly through the final miles to hold off Becky Backstrom (WA, 3:30:13) by 1:17.
• Top-to-bottom depth: 221 women finished in F65-69, with the top 10 all coming in under 3:45:16 on a cool, drizzly Patriots' Day in Boston.
• Cory Benson (CA) charged from well back in the women's field to finish 4th in 3:31:38 — one of the most aggressive second-half moves in the group.

Lucie Rochon arrived in Hopkinton sitting around 3,128th among all women, a mid-pack start that understated what was coming. She steadily climbed through the field — reaching 2,556th at the half, then 2,395th by 25K — before the Newton Hills began to sort the field. Her 2,118th-fastest women's split on the Half-to-25K stretch was a sign she was running with real purpose through that stretch, and she never relinquished the F65-69 lead. By the finish, her 7:51/mi average had carried her to a commanding three-minute win over a competitive field of 221.

Behind her, Leslie Cohen and Becky Backstrom ran contrasting races. Cohen started conservatively — 3,589th among women at the gun — and worked her way forward throughout, logging a strong 30K-to-20-mile split that ranked 2,477th among all women on that segment. Backstrom, by contrast, went out more aggressively and faded slightly through the Newton Hills, slipping back in the women's field from 3,104th to 3,400th before steadying. The gap between them at the finish — 1:17 — reflected two very different paths to the same podium.

Cory Benson (CA) put together arguably the most eye-catching trajectory in the group, climbing from 5,180th among women at the half to 3,501st by mile 25 — a relentless forward march that delivered a 3:31:38 and 4th place. Sharon Johnson (MA) rounded out the top five in 3:38:36, followed by Debra Hexsel (NE, 3:42:28), Ann Newman (CT, 3:43:43), and a tight cluster of Therese Christo (NY, 3:44:07) and Sydney Tervort (UT, 3:44:08) — separated by a single second at the line.