Cleveland Marathon: Linda Sheaffer Owns the F70-74 Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Linda Sheaffer, 70, of Washington, DC, crossed in 4:42:08 — a 10:46/mi average across 26.2 miles.
• Mid-race resilience: Her position among the women's field dipped as deep as 322nd before she reeled it back in, finishing 309th among women.
• Competitive late miles: She posted the 301st-fastest women's split on the Half→19.1M segment, holding her own in a large women's field through a warm, humid morning.

Linda Sheaffer was the only woman to toe the line — and finish — in the F70-74 age group at the 2026 Cleveland Marathon, and she did it on a day that asked plenty of everyone: 75°F, 68% humidity, and a breeze that offered only modest relief. At 10:46 per mile, she covered all 26.2 miles and earned the win by default in the most literal sense — but completing a marathon at 70 in those conditions is no footnote.

The race unfolded with some genuine ebb and flow. Sheaffer's position among the women's field tracked from 276th at the first checkpoint, slipped back through the middle miles to 322nd, then steadily recovered — 314th, 306th, 309th at the finish. That arc suggests she ran a measured early pace and held her form better than a number of women around her in the back half, a meaningful read given the heat. Her Half→19.1M split ranked 301st among all women in the field, placing her squarely in the pack on that stretch rather than fading off the back.

There's no drama of a podium battle to recount here, but Sheaffer's solo run through a warm Cleveland morning stands on its own. She came, she ran, she finished — and in the F70-74 age group, the gold was hers.