California International Marathon: Audrua Sysum Owns the F40-44 Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Audrua Sysum crossed in 5:00:56 at an 11:29/mi average, claiming 1st in the F40-44 age group.
• Fastest early split: Sysum posted the fastest split among all women on the 5K–10K segment.
• Consistent contender: She held 2nd among women for most of the race, briefly slipping to 3rd before reclaiming that spot by the finish.

Audrua Sysum of Antioch, CA was the only F40-44 finisher at the 2025 California International Marathon, and she made the most of it — running the full 26.2 miles from Folsom to Sacramento in 5:00:56 on a cool, humid December morning. With temperatures sitting at 46°F and a light 3 mph breeze, conditions were about as kind as a California winter offers, and Sysum settled into a steady 11:29/mi rhythm that held up across the entire course.

What makes her run more than a solo effort is what she did among the broader women's field. On the 5K-to-10K segment, she was the fastest woman on the course — a sharp early move that showed she came to race, not just finish. She carried 2nd place among women through most of the checkpoints, dipped briefly to 3rd somewhere in the middle miles, then worked her way back to 2nd by the time she crossed the line. That kind of sustained positioning in the women's field, with only a brief and recovered slip, speaks to a well-managed effort from start to finish.

There's no drama in a field of one, but there's still a story worth telling: a 40-year-old running 26.2 miles in just under five hours, trading punches with the women's field across every checkpoint, and owning the fastest split on the course's opening stretch. Sysum takes the F40-44 title at CIM 2025 — uncontested, yes, but earned.