F70+ Iron Face Challenge: Carrie Dion Owns the Mountain

• Sole finisher and champion: Carrie Dion, 71, of Los Gatos, CA, crossed in 2:50:21.
• Pace: 34:04/mi average across a 5-mile course ranging from 6,220 to 7,191 feet above sea level.
• Conditions: 91°F heat, clear skies, and 14 mph winds made this anything but a gentle outing.

Carrie Dion didn't just finish the Iron Face Challenge's F70+ field — she was the F70+ field, and she made it count. At 71 years old, she took on a high-elevation mountain course in punishing 91-degree heat and came out the other side in 2:50:21. That's a win, a course record, and a statement all in one.

The numbers alone tell a story worth respecting. A 34:04-per-mile average sounds measured until you factor in what the course demands: nearly a thousand feet of elevation range, air noticeably thinner than what most sea-level athletes train in, and a race-day thermometer that climbed to 91°F under a clear Tahoe sky. Keeping a steady rhythm through that combination — heat sapping energy from the outside, altitude pressing in from everywhere — requires both fitness and composure.

There's no one to compare her to in the F70+ results today, but that's not the point. Dion showed up, toed the line at Palisades Tahoe, and ran the whole thing. On a day like this, at this altitude, at 71, that's the headline.