F75-79 at Chicago 13.1: Delma Bartelme Owns the Age Group

• Sole finisher and champion: Delma Bartelme, 75, of Chicago, crossed in 2:30:47 at an 11:30/mi average pace.
• Consistent climber: Bartelme advanced through the women's field at every checkpoint, moving from 3,454th to 2,978th among women by the 15K mark — a gain of 476 places.
• Strong finish: She posted the 2,644th-fastest women's split on the 15K-to-finish segment, continuing to pick off competitors all the way to the line.

Delma Bartelme came to Chicago 13.1 as the only entrant in the F75-79 age group, and she made every step count. Running 13.1 miles through Chicago at 11:30 per mile, the 75-year-old local finished in 2:30:47 — a number that speaks for itself when you consider the distance and the age it was run at.

What stands out beyond the finish time is how Bartelme raced. She didn't just hold steady — she advanced. From her opening checkpoint to the 15K mark, she climbed steadily through the women's field, moving from 3,454th to 2,978th. That's not a runner surviving the back half; that's a runner executing a plan.

She kept pressing on the final stretch too, posting the 2,644th-fastest women's split from 15K to the finish. In a field that size, continuing to move forward in the closing miles is a genuine achievement. Bartelme ran Chicago's streets from start to finish, and she ran them well.