F65-69 Half Marathon: Cohen Dominates, Dixon and Peterson Stage a Late Charge

• Leslie Cohen, 69, wins in 1:40:05 (7:38/mi) — a commanding 10-minute gap over the rest of the F65-69 field.
• Terri Dixon (1:50:08) edges Patricia Peterson (1:50:20) for 2nd — just 12 seconds separating them after 13.1 miles.
• Vicki Johnson ran the 33rd-fastest women's split on the 5.5M–10.8M segment, then faded significantly in the final stretch, dropping from 98th among women to 664th to finish 5th in 2:03:06.
• 73 finishers completed the F65-69 race, with the top 20 ranging from 1:40:05 to 2:33:43.

Leslie Cohen made the F65-69 race her own from the gun. Starting 106th among women, the 69-year-old from Santa Monica climbed steadily to 76th by the midpoint and ultimately crossed at 73rd among women — running 7:38 per mile for a 1:40:05 finish. That's not a win you stumble into; it's a 10-minute margin over second place, built mile by mile on a cool, clear Long Beach morning.

Behind Cohen, the real drama unfolded in the chase for the podium. Terri Dixon of La Mirada and Patricia Peterson of El Dorado Hills were running nearly in lockstep through the back half, both posting 8:24–8:25 pace and both ranked among the 90th and 92nd-fastest women's splits on the 5.5M–10.8M segment. Dixon edged it, 1:50:08 to Peterson's 1:50:20 — a 12-second gap that Dixon held to the line. Jennifer Gonzalez from Whittier rounded out the top four in 1:51:41, just 81 seconds back of Dixon.

The most dramatic trajectory in the race belonged to Vicki Johnson of Irvine. She posted the 33rd-fastest women's split in the field on the 5.5M–10.8M segment and was sitting 98th among women at that checkpoint — a genuinely strong mid-race position. But the final 2.3 miles told a different story, as she fell to 664th among women by the finish, crossing 5th in F65-69 in 2:03:06 at 9:23/mi. It was a vivid reminder that the half marathon has a sting in its tail. Laura Matsuura (2:08:30), Cindy Kramer (2:09:59), and Helen Park (2:10:29) rounded out the next tier, separated by just under two minutes across three finishers.