Long Beach Half Marathon 2025: Carlin edges Pecis in a razor-thin F45-49 finish

• Emily Carlin wins in 1:34:23, averaging 7:12/mi to claim the F45-49 title in a field of 362 finishers.
• Four seconds separated 1st and 2nd — Carlin (1:34:23) just ahead of Hilary Pecis (1:34:27), with both clocking a 7:12/mi average.
• Pecis ran the stronger closing leg, posting the 18th-fastest women's split on the 10.8M-to-finish stretch; Carlin's was 24th — a genuine catch-up that made the finish as tight as it was.
• Kim Jaya rounded out the podium in 1:38:23 (7:30/mi), nearly four minutes back in 3rd.

Emily Carlin of South Pasadena came to Long Beach with a mission, and she delivered — threading through the women's field from 48th among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 31st by the finish, crossing in 1:34:23 to claim the F45-49 win. The margin, though, was almost uncomfortably slim: Hilary Pecis of Los Angeles was right on her heels in 1:34:27, having made an almost identical charge through the field — 58th among women early, 32nd at the line. Both women averaged 7:12/mi for the day, but the final stretch told the real story.

From 10.8 miles to the finish, Pecis was the faster woman — her closing split ranked 18th among all women, compared to Carlin's 24th. Pecis was catching up, and catching up fast. Four seconds, however, was simply not enough road. Carlin had built just enough of a cushion to hold on, and the win was hers by the slimmest of margins.

Behind the lead pair, Kim Jaya of Del Mar ran a composed 1:38:23 (7:30/mi) for 3rd, holding her position steadily through the second half to finish 59th among women. Alice Pai of Rancho Mission Viejo was 4th in 1:40:32 (7:40/mi), and Madison Duong of Irvine rounded out the top five in 1:42:06 (7:47/mi) — though Duong's 124th-fastest closing split among women suggests the final miles cost her a little momentum. Candice Candelaria of Long Beach, racing on home turf, finished 6th in 1:42:24, just 18 seconds behind Duong.