Cleveland Marathon 10K — F30-34: Giammo Dominates in Tough Conditions

• Nicole Giammo won the F30-34 age group in 44:37 (7:11/mi), finishing more than 1:15 ahead of runner-up Lilly Meier.
• Lilly Meier claimed 2nd in 45:53 (7:23/mi), the only other finisher to break 46 minutes in the group.
• A tight battle for 3rd: Amber Sours (50:08) edged Abigail Marquard (50:18) by just 10 seconds.
• Rebecca Riemer-Sander and Lindsey Hoffman were nearly inseparable at 5th and 6th, separated by only 6 seconds (51:30 vs. 51:36).

With 15 mph winds, 83% humidity, and temperatures already at 67°F on a May morning in Cleveland, the F30-34 field of 99 runners faced conditions that made every minute earned. Nicole Giammo made it look manageable anyway. The 34-year-old from Twinsburg ran a composed 7:11-per-mile pace from start to finish, building a gap that only grew as the race wore on. By the time she crossed the line, no one else in the age group had cracked 45 minutes — let alone matched her.

Lilly Meier, the lone out-of-state challenger near the front (making the trip from Mableton, GA), was the only woman in the group to come within two minutes of Giammo, finishing 2nd in 45:53. She ran alone in her own space — more than four minutes clear of 3rd place — making the top two a genuinely separate conversation from the rest of the field.

That rest of the field had its own compelling story. Amber Sours (Middleburg Heights) and Abigail Marquard (Lakewood) ran side by side through much of the race, separating only at the very end: Sours took 3rd in 50:08, Marquard 4th in 50:18. Ten seconds after 6.2 miles of racing is as close as it gets without a photo finish. Just behind them, Rebecca Riemer-Sander and Lindsey Hoffman staged their own two-woman battle for 5th and 6th, finishing within 6 seconds of each other at 51:30 and 51:36.

Mackenzie Keriazes rounded out the top seven in 51:52, and the field continued to pack tightly through the mid-finishers — nine runners finishing between 53:00 and 59:30 in places 8 through 20 alone. In conditions that had no interest in making the day easy, 99 women in F30-34 got it done.