F20-24 Half Marathon: Yilin Wu Dominates with a 1:18:58 Closing Surge

• Yilin Wu (1:18:58, 6:01/mi) won the F20-24 race by 7 minutes and 39 seconds — a commanding margin over a 528-woman field.
• Grace Wallace climbed from 34th to 22nd among women across the race, posting the 9th-fastest women's split on the final stretch (10.8M to finish) to seal 4th in F20-24 with a 1:30:34.
• Lily Tong made a similar late charge, moving from 47th to 29th among women and logging the 26th-fastest women's closing split to finish 5th in 1:33:42.
• The top three were separated by just over 9 minutes total, with Makayla Gonzalez (2nd, 1:26:37) and Nicole Greyer (3rd, 1:28:09) each running sub-6:45 pace.

Yilin Wu, 24, from San Marino, CA, put on a masterclass of front-running and late acceleration. She was already 4th among all women by mile 5.5 and held that position through to the finish — punctuating it with the 3rd-fastest women's split on the final 10.8-mile-to-finish segment. At 6:01/mi, she was running a full 35 seconds per mile faster than 2nd-place Makayla Gonzalez. This wasn't a race for the podium; it was a statement.

Gonzalez, 20, from Santa Maria, CA, was steady and composed throughout, sitting 12th among women at the midpoint and finishing 13th — her 15th-fastest women's split on the middle segment (5.5M–10.8M) reflecting consistent, controlled running at 6:36/mi. Nicole Greyer (1:28:09, 6:43/mi) from Los Angeles ran a similar race, holding 16th among women through the middle before settling into 17th at the line to claim 3rd in F20-24. Both women ran their own races rather than chasing Wu.

The more dramatic stories unfolded behind the podium. Grace Wallace (4th, 1:30:34) traveled from Seattle and made it count on the back half, climbing 12 spots among women from mile 5.5 to the finish on the strength of that 9th-fastest closing split. Lily Tong (5th, 1:33:42) from Sierra Madre matched that energy, moving up 18 spots among women over the same stretch. Further back, the race deepened impressively: Kayla Estrada (6th, 1:35:32), Melissa Owens (7th, 1:36:38), Ali Evans (8th, 1:37:03), and Lizzie Ramey (9th, 1:37:29) all finished within a tight two-minute window, with Cate Whitehouse rounding out the top 10 in 1:37:53.