Broken Arrow Skyrace IFC — F40-49: Sibille Dominates at Altitude

• Stephanie Sibille won F40-49 in 1:39:23 at a 19:53/mi average — more than 11 minutes clear of second place.
• Laura Arthur (49, Ventura) edged Alison Bassett (49, Livermore) for the runner-up spot, separated by 3:37 in a battle of the eldest competitors in the field.
• Dawn Abney rounded out the top four in 2:00:19, with the top four all finishing inside two hours and one minute.
• The field spanned a remarkable 2:36:14 from first to last across 10 finishers.

Stephanie Sibille, 40, from Granby, CT, put together a commanding performance on a course that climbs between roughly 6,200 and 7,200 feet above sea level — thin air that demands respect from anyone who doesn't train at elevation. She crossed in 1:39:23, sustaining a 19:53/mi average across terrain where that kind of consistency is genuinely hard-earned. Her margin of victory — 11 minutes and 10 seconds over Laura Arthur — was not a photo finish. It was a statement.

The real drama in F40-49 played out just behind her. Laura Arthur and Alison Bassett, both 49 and the oldest competitors in the field, ran the most compelling battle of the day. Arthur held on for 2nd in 1:50:33 with Bassett finishing 3rd in 1:54:10 — close enough to keep things interesting, but Arthur was never truly threatened in the final accounting. Dawn Abney (45, Reno) slotted in 4th at 2:00:19, just barely missing the sub-two-hour mark.

Behind the top four, the field spread out considerably. Monica Semergiu and Meg Fiandaca finished 5th and 6th in 2:36:51 and 2:47:34 respectively, with a gap of nearly 37 minutes separating them from Abney — a reminder of how differently this course can treat athletes across a long afternoon at altitude. Heather Stone (7th, 3:03:10), Bridget Erickson (8th, 3:17:05), and Amy Logan (9th, 3:26:02) kept pushing through the heat and thin air, and Melissa Petterson closed out the field in 4:15:37 — every finisher earning their result on a course that doesn't offer easy miles.