Cleveland Marathon 10K — F35-39: Mccafferty dominates on a humid morning

• Lauren Mccafferty won the F35-39 age group in 41:41 (6:42/mi) — more than five minutes clear of second place.
• The gap from 2nd to 3rd was nearly identical: Jaime Tomko (46:45) and Brittany White (51:21) were separated by 4:36.
• Places 7 through 9 were decided in a span of just 8 seconds — Samantha Wilmot (53:51), Julie Andrasik (53:59), and Marissa Brar (53:59) finishing in a tight cluster.
• Katie Buckheit and Lauren Potts crossed in the same displayed time of 55:52, with Buckheit edging 12th and Potts 13th by the finest of margins.

With 67°F temperatures, 83% humidity, and a 15 mph wind off Lake Erie, the conditions on race morning were legitimately demanding — which makes Lauren Mccafferty's performance all the more striking. The 38-year-old Cleveland local ran 41:41 at a 6:42-per-mile clip, finishing more than five minutes ahead of the next woman in the F35-39 field. In a 76-finisher age group, that kind of margin isn't a close race — it's a statement.

Jaime Tomko claimed a clear second in 46:45, with Brittany White of Bay Village rounding out the podium in 51:21. Behind them, the race got genuinely interesting. Ashley Frazier (52:29), Nada Tayeh (53:17), and Dionne Bryant (53:30) were separated by less than a minute across three spots, and then the pack tightened further: Samantha Wilmot, Julie Andrasik, and Marissa Brar — 8th and 9th sharing the same clock time of 53:59 — all finished within eight seconds of each other.

Further back, the battle for 12th and 13th produced the day's closest finish. Katie Buckheit (Syracuse, NY) and Lauren Potts (Cleveland) both stopped the clock at 55:52, but the timing system separated them by a whisker, with Buckheit edging ahead for 12th. It's the kind of finish that makes you wish you'd found one more gear somewhere on the back half of that 10K.