Long Beach Half Marathon 2025 — F15-19: Calleja Runs Away With It

• Karla Calleja, 19, wins in 1:41:52 (7:46/mi) — nearly 11 minutes clear of the field.
• Sage Therriault vs. Natalie Vasquez: 2nd and 3rd separated by just 10 seconds (1:52:47 vs. 1:52:57), but Therriault got there by running the 104th-fastest final stretch among all women while Vasquez faded to the 315th-fastest — a clear catch-up story in the closing miles.
• Aya Montijo's charge: the 15-year-old from Aliso Viejo entered the final stretch ranked deep in the women's field but posted the 145th-fastest closing split among all women to land 5th in 1:57:35.
• 62 finishers in the F15-19 field, with six runners breaking 2:00:00.

Karla Calleja, 19, from Stansbury, UT, made this one a solo time trial. Her 1:41:52 finish at 7:46/mi was a full 10 minutes and 55 seconds ahead of second place — a margin that left no drama at the top. She moved through the women's field steadily over the first two checkpoints before closing with the 120th-fastest final split among all women, a strong finish that cemented a dominant wire-to-wire performance.

The real race was happening behind her. Sage Therriault, 15, from Carlsbad, and Natalie Vasquez, 16, from Glendora, ran nearly the same half marathon — 1:52:47 and 1:52:57 respectively — but arrived there very differently. Vasquez actually held a tighter position in the women's field through the middle miles, but Therriault turned in the 104th-fastest closing split among all women to reel her in. Vasquez's 315th-fastest closing split tells the story: Therriault ran her down in the back half, snatching 2nd by 10 seconds.

Arabella Montomery finished 4th in 1:56:22 after slipping back through the middle miles, while 15-year-old Aya Montijo had perhaps the most eye-catching trajectory of anyone in the field — she was positioned well back in the women's standings at the midway checkpoint before unleashing the 145th-fastest closing split among all women to surge home in 5th at 1:57:35. Clarissa Mendez (6th, 1:59:58) just missed the sub-2:00 mark, while Lila Sanchez and Addison Pak finished 7th and 8th within three seconds of each other at 2:02:04 and 2:02:07.