Broken Arrow 18K F20-29: Kolpa Dominates, Late Surges Shake Up the Podium

• Lucinda Kolpa won F20-29 in 1:49:17 (9:46/mi), finishing 4th among all women — posting the 3rd-fastest women's split on the KT 22→Siberia segment.
• Emma Tapscott closed hard with the 8th-fastest women's split on the Siberia→Finish leg, climbing from 17th to 11th among women to claim 2nd in F20-29 in 2:03:31.
• Lauren Miller ran the 7th-fastest women's split on Siberia→Finish, surging from 20th to 17th among women to round out the top five in 2:06:06.
• The podium gap was tight but real: just 35 seconds separated 2nd-place Tapscott (2:03:31) from 3rd-place Annette Hermelin (2:04:06), with Fem Woodruff another 56 seconds back in 4th.

Lucinda Kolpa made this race look controlled. The Bozeman native held 4th among all women from the first checkpoint to the finish, never wavering, and crossed in 1:49:17 — a full 14 minutes clear of her nearest F20-29 rival. At an altitude hovering around 7,100 feet, with 17 mph winds and air dry enough to sandpaper your lungs, that kind of steadiness is worth noting. Her 3rd-fastest women's split through KT 22→Siberia showed she wasn't just surviving the course's midsection — she was racing it.

Behind her, the story was all about who moved and when. Emma Tapscott spent most of the race climbing through the women's field — 17th at the first checkpoint, 15th, 12th, and finally 11th by the finish. Her 8th-fastest women's split on the Siberia→Finish leg was the engine of that run, and it was enough to edge Annette Hermelin by 35 seconds for 2nd in F20-29. Hermelin, meanwhile, had been the earlier mover — posting the 13th-fastest women's split on Snow King→KT 22 — but faded slightly in the back half, slipping from 9th to 12th among women overall.

Fem Woodruff mirrored Tapscott's trajectory, advancing steadily from 19th to 14th among women to take 4th in F20-29. Lauren Miller's late charge — 7th-fastest women's Siberia→Finish split — lifted her from 20th to 17th among women and into 5th in the field of 35. In a race where the final descent can reset the entire order, both women timed their best running exactly right.