Napa Valley Marathon F35-39: Praznik Pulls Away for a Sub-3 Win

• Meaghan Praznik, 35, Danville — won the F35-39 field in 2:58:32 (6:49/mi), climbing from 11th to 9th among all women by the finish, with the 6th-fastest women's closing split from mile 20 to the finish line.
• Margaret Powers, 36, Pittsburgh — took 2nd in 3:16:11, posting the 22nd-fastest women's closing split to finish 17:39 behind Praznik but comfortably clear of the rest of the podium.
• Karin Knudson, 35, Somerville — earned 3rd in 3:24:32 after one of the day's most aggressive moves, surging from 79th to 44th among women across the race — and the 26th-fastest women's closing split sealed it.
• A seven-runner cluster from 4th through 10th — Anne Orme through Rebecca Fleps — was separated by just 5:32 across 3:31:41 to 3:37:13, making for one of the tightest mid-pack battles of the morning.

In crisp 42°F conditions along the Napa Valley course, Meaghan Praznik ran the kind of race that leaves no doubt. She clicked off 26.2 miles at a 6:49/mi clip, steadily working her way through the women's field from 11th at the first checkpoint to 9th by the tape. Her strongest statement came in the final 6.2 miles, where her closing split ranked 6th-fastest among all women — she wasn't just holding on, she was hunting.

Margaret Powers made a similar move late, climbing from 29th to 25th among women and recording the 22nd-fastest women's closing split. Her 3:16:11 was a clear and comfortable runner-up, but the real drama for third was Karin Knudson's sustained surge: starting the race buried in 79th place among women, she worked her way to 44th by the finish, running 3:24:32 at 7:48/mi. That's not a late kick — that's a full-race build executed over 26 miles.

Behind the podium, the F35-39 field produced a remarkably tight pack. Anne Orme (3:31:41) and Ashley Fattig (3:31:48) were separated by just seven seconds in 4th and 5th, with Orme showing her best split in the 10K-to-half stretch before fading slightly in the women's standings late. Ashley Tanner (3:32:39, 6th), Candice Wheeler (3:33:13, 7th), Rachel Hatch (3:33:56, 8th), Kerry Butters (3:35:39, 9th), and Rebecca Fleps (3:37:13, 10th) rounded out the top ten — five runners within two minutes of each other, all racing hard through the finish on a cool Napa morning.