F50-59 at Jed Smith Ultra Classic 30K: Larose dominates, Rodriguez finishes strong

• Virginia Larose won the F50-59 age group in 3:22:34 (10:52/mi), holding 5th among all women throughout the race.
• Alicia Rodriguez claimed 2nd in F50-59 in 3:52:21 (12:28/mi), finishing 6th among all women from start to finish.
• Larose posted the 4th-fastest women's split on both Lap 1 and Lap 2, showing remarkable consistency across the back half of the course.
• The gap between the two finishers was 29 minutes and 47 seconds — a decisive margin in a two-woman age group.

In the fog and humidity blanketing Sacramento on race morning, the F50-59 age group told a story of two steady, unflinching performances. Virginia Larose set the tone early and never let up. Running at 10:52 per mile across 30 kilometers, she locked into 5th among all women at the very first checkpoint and never budged from that spot — a testament to her pacing discipline on a day when the thick air made every mile a little heavier.

Larose's split speed was particularly impressive in the later stages. She posted the 4th-fastest women's split on Lap 1 and again on Lap 2, meaning she was not just surviving the second half of the race — she was racing it. That kind of sustained output through the fog earned her the age group win by a comfortable margin.

Alicia Rodriguez, 56, ran her own composed race from Galt. She sat 6th among all women through the Out & Back and held that position all the way to the finish, clocking a 6th-fastest women's split on the Out & Back segment along the way. Her 3:52:21 at 12:28 per mile represents a solid effort across a challenging distance, and she secured the F50-59 runner-up spot without ever losing her footing in the standings.

Two finishers, two clean races, no drama in the positions — just a pair of women in their 50s grinding through a foggy Sacramento morning and getting the job done.