Women's 35–39: Laura Shader Owns the Age Group

• Solo winner: Laura Shader, 36, of Beachwood, OH, finished in 3:17:41 — the only finisher in the women's 35–39 age group.
• Steady in the women's field: Shader held 2nd among women from the 5K checkpoint all the way through the finish line, never yielding that spot.
• Sharp middle segment: She posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 5K→10K stretch — a standout moment in an otherwise measured effort.

Laura Shader came to Cleveland and left as the uncontested champion of the women's 35–39 age group, crossing in 3:17:41 at a 15:05-per-mile average. With no one else in her age group to race, the story here is less about a battle and more about execution — and Shader delivered a composed, consistent performance on a warm May morning in Cleveland, with temperatures at 75°F and humidity hovering at 68%.

What makes her run worth noting beyond the win is where she stood among the broader women's field. Shader locked into 2nd among women by the 5K mark and never budged — holding that position through every checkpoint to the finish. That kind of positional stability over 13.1 miles in sticky conditions speaks to a well-paced effort from start to finish.

Her sharpest moment came on the 5K-to-10K segment, where she ran the 2nd-fastest women's split of that stretch in the entire field. It was the one passage where she genuinely separated herself from the pack in terms of raw speed — a controlled surge that didn't cost her later in the race.