F Podium: Randrup seizes the lead and holds on through a three-way thriller

• Kristina Randrup won in 1:46:46 (9:33/mi), clocking the fastest women's split on the KT 22→Siberia segment to take and hold the lead.
• Sidney Mcintosh, just 18 and racing on home turf in Truckee, finished 2nd in 1:47:52 — posting the fastest women's split on the Siberia→Finish stretch in a late charge that nearly closed the gap.
• Lisa Musacchio rounded out the podium in 3rd at 1:48:19, backed by the 2nd-fastest women's split on KT 22→Siberia — a margin of just 27 seconds off the top.
• All three women finished within 93 seconds of each other across a rugged high-elevation course ranging up to 8,046 feet.

The early race belonged to Mcintosh. She held 1st among the women through the first checkpoint, with Randrup sitting 2nd and Musacchio 3rd — the order looking settled. Then came the KT 22→Siberia segment, and Randrup turned it into her decisive moment. She posted the fastest women's split on that stretch, moving from 2nd to 1st, and she never relinquished it.

Musacchio was right there with her on that same stretch, recording the 2nd-fastest women's split on KT 22→Siberia, which pushed her from 3rd up to 2nd heading into the final segment. But Mcintosh had other ideas on the Siberia→Finish run. The 18-year-old found another gear, posting the fastest women's split on that closing stretch to reclaim 2nd place and nearly reel in Randrup — finishing just 66 seconds behind the winner.

In the end, Randrup's surge in the middle of the race proved to be the winning move. Her 9:33/mi average on a course that climbs through thin air above 7,000 feet tells its own story. Mcintosh's closing speed made it compelling right to the finish line, and Musacchio's consistency across the whole race earned her a well-deserved podium. Ninety-three seconds covered all three — a razor-close result on one of the more demanding 18K courses you'll find.