Napa Valley 5K — F55-59: Stephenson Runs Away With It

• Loretta Stephenson, 59, wins in 25:29 — an 8:12/mi pace that left the field more than six minutes behind.
• Six-minute gap to 2nd: Judy Volta crossed in 31:57 (10:17/mi), the largest margin separating any two consecutive finishers in the F55-59 field.
• Tight battle for 3rd and 4th: Renee Vandenbrandhorninge (33:47) and Donna Lord (33:49) were separated by just two seconds, with Molly Robert close behind in 5th at 34:06.
• 18 finishers spread across a 32-minute window, from Stephenson's 25:29 to Cari Mossman's 58:09 finish.

On a crisp 36°F morning in Napa, Loretta Stephenson of Burlingame made the F55-59 race look like a solo time trial. Her 25:29 finish at 8:12/mi was in a different gear entirely from the rest of the field — Judy Volta's 10:17/mi pace in 2nd tells you just how commanding the gap was. At 59, Stephenson was the oldest athlete on the podium, and she ran the fastest by a country mile.

Behind Stephenson, the real drama unfolded around the 3rd-place spot. Renee Vandenbrandhorninge (age 57, Brentwood) held off Donna Lord (also 57, also Brentwood) by a mere two seconds — 33:47 to 33:49 — with Molly Robert of Napa finishing 5th in 34:06, just 17 seconds further back. Three athletes separated by 19 seconds made for the most competitive stretch of the afternoon.

Further down the field, Carolyn Loomis (7th, 39:23) and Eva Hoffman (8th, 39:31) ran nearly identical races, finishing just eight seconds apart at 12:41 and 12:43 per mile respectively. Mirna Chammas rounded out the 40-minute cluster in 9th at 40:04. From there, the field stretched out steadily, with Cari Mossman completing the 18-runner F55-59 field in 58:09 — a finish that, on a cold March morning in wine country, still deserves its moment.