F65-69 at Marine Corps Marathon: Maureen Joyce Runs Away With It

• Maureen Joyce won the F65-69 race in 3:58:31 (9:06/mi) — more than 11 minutes clear of runner-up Kim Solomine's 4:09:40.
• Kim Solomine held a strong early position among the women before gradually settling back, finishing 2nd in 11:09 behind Joyce.
• Places 3–6 were decided in a span of just 2:35 — Julie Donovan (3rd, 4:32:22), Glenda Sprankel (4th, 4:33:27), Hae Bolduc (5th, 4:34:25), and Carol Drinkwater (6th, 4:34:57).
• 53 women finished the F65-69 race on a crisp 43°F morning past the monuments of Arlington and Washington D.C.

Maureen Joyce of East Northport, NY, didn't just win the F65-69 race at the 2024 Marine Corps Marathon — she turned it into a statement. Starting conservatively, she was ranked 2,732nd among women at the 5K mark, but she spent the next 37 kilometers methodically reeling in competitor after competitor. By 35K she had climbed to 1,332nd among women, and by the finish she had surged to 1,072nd — a relentless, race-long move that culminated in a 3:58:31 at 9:06 per mile. Her 35K–40K split ranked 609th among all women in the field, a burst of late-race speed that sealed the win decisively.

Kim Solomine of Syosset, NY, told a different story. She was moving well through the opening 10K — her 5K–10K split ranked 975th among women — and sat in a strong position among the women's field in the early miles. But the back half of the race saw her gradually cede ground, sliding from 1,050th among women at 10K to 1,461st by the finish. She crossed in 4:09:40 (9:31/mi) to claim 2nd, a solid result but one that underscores just how much Joyce's late-race surge changed the complexion of the race.

Behind those two, the real drama was a four-way scramble for the final podium spot and beyond. Julie Donovan of Hampstead, MD, ran a negative-trending race — moving steadily up through the women's field from nearly 3,000th at 5K all the way to 2,356th by 40K — to claim 3rd in 4:32:22. Glenda Sprankel (Washington, DC) was remarkably consistent, barely shifting position among the women all day, and finished 4th in 4:33:27. Hae Bolduc of Colorado Springs, CO, ran the opposite arc from Donovan — strong early but fading through the second half — to finish 5th in 4:34:25. Carol Drinkwater of Myrtle Beach, SC, rounded out the top six in 4:34:57, just 32 seconds behind Bolduc and 2:35 behind Donovan. Four athletes, one tight finish, all of them earning it on a cold October morning at The People's Marathon.