Cleveland Marathon 5K Women: Wingler Wins, But a 13-Year-Old Nearly Stole the Show

• Sydney Wingler (22, Strongsville) took the women's title in 19:04 (6:08/mi), edging Bryn Westerman by just three seconds.
• Bryn Westerman, age 13 from Murrysville, PA, finished 2nd among all women in 19:07 — an extraordinary result for a middle schooler in a field of 811.
• Jennifer Colvin (37, Cincinnati) claimed 3rd in 20:34, with 4th-place Kathryn Matson (40, Seven Hills) close behind at 20:56.
• Two 10-year-olds — Belle Carlson (24:31, 11th) and Eleanor Dawson (24:42, 12th) — cracked the top 12 among all women, running 7:53 and 7:57 per mile respectively.

Sydney Wingler crossed the line first in 19:04 to claim the women's race on a humid, breezy Cleveland morning — 67°F with 15 mph winds and 83% humidity making every second earned. Her 6:08/mi pace was the sharpest in the field, but the story of the day was who came closest to catching her: Bryn Westerman, a 13-year-old from Murrysville, PA, who finished just three seconds back in 19:07. That's not a consolation result — that's 2nd among 811 women, running 6:09/mi. It's the kind of performance that makes the whole field take notice.

Jennifer Colvin (37, Cincinnati) rounded out the podium in 20:34, running a composed 6:37/mi to finish well clear of 4th-place Kathryn Matson (40, Seven Hills) at 20:56. Matson's 6:44/mi was a noticeably different gear from Colvin's, and the 22-second gap reflected it. Hannah Gendelman (37, Beachwood) came in 5th at 21:32, while Jillian Reyna (32, Northfield) and Hailey Zelinsky (25, Cleveland) ran a tight battle for 6th and 7th, finishing in 22:15 and 22:18 respectively.

Further back, the youth story continued: Belle Carlson and Eleanor Dawson, both age 10, finished 11th (24:31) and 12th (24:42) among all women. Meanwhile, Heather Westerman (53, Murrysville) finished 16th in 25:06 — and given the shared last name and hometown, it's hard not to wonder if she was there to watch Bryn run, only to finish 16 places behind her.