Cleveland Marathon 10K — F55-59: Pullin Leads an Ohio Sweep of the Podium

• Carolyn Pullin (Amherst, OH) won the F55-59 age group in 54:27 at an 8:46/mi pace, finishing 30 seconds ahead of runner-up Tracy Nedrich.
• The top three — all age 55 — were separated by just 1 minute 28 seconds, with Stacey Long rounding out the podium in 55:55.
• A notable gap opened after 3rd place: Claudia Lillibridge's 4th-place 59:09 was over 3 minutes back from Long, marking the clearest tier break in the field.
• 20 women finished the F55-59 age group, spread across a range of more than 67 minutes from first to last — a testament to the breadth of the field on a humid, breezy Cleveland morning.

Carolyn Pullin set the tone from the start, running 8:46 per mile through 67°F air thick with 83% humidity and a 15 mph wind off the lake. That pace held up well enough to put 30 seconds between herself and Tracy Nedrich (54:57) — a margin that, in conditions like these, represents a clear and earned victory. Nedrich, also of the class of 1970, pushed the whole way; Stacey Long (Miamisburg) was another 58 seconds behind in third at 55:55. All three women sharing the podium at age 55 is a striking detail in its own right.

Behind the podium, Claudia Lillibridge (Twinsburg) ran a solid 59:09 to claim 4th, while Kimberly Jennings (Mentor) and Meg Rowe (Westlake) filled out the top six at 1:02:18 and 1:03:28 respectively — a tight 70-second window between them. From 7th onward, the field spread considerably, with Jane Kovacs (1:08:46) holding 7th and the back of the pack navigating the same windy course well past the two-hour mark. Michele Dienes closed it out in 2:01:40, and every one of these 20 women earned her finish on a day that didn't make anything easy.