Women's Marathon: Stephanie Finley Leads Wire to Wire in Napa

• Finley wins in 2:49:35 (6:28/mi), holding the top spot in the women's field from the opening miles through the finish line.
• Lydia Davenport's late surge: the fastest women's split on the 13.1M→20M stretch helped her climb from 3rd to 2nd, finishing in 2:52:19.
• Jursa fades, Davenport pounces: Stephanie Jursa held 2nd through 20 miles but was caught and passed in the final stretch, finishing 3rd in 2:54:13 — 1:54 behind Davenport.
• Gabrielle Lieber, the field's best closer: starting 9th among women, she ran the 3rd-fastest 20M→Finish split to climb four spots and finish 5th in 2:58:32.

Cold, wet, and windy at 41°F with light rain, the 2024 Napa Valley Marathon women's race was a test of patience and nerve across 602 finishers. Stephanie Finley, 23, from San Francisco, made it look straightforward — she sat at the top of the women's field from the gun and never relinquished it, posting the fastest women's split on the 6.2M→13.1M segment and ultimately crossing in 2:49:35. That's a comfortable margin over runner-up Davenport, but the real drama was unfolding behind her.

Stephanie Jursa of Holland, MI ran a strong early race, slotting into 2nd place by the first checkpoint and holding it through 20 miles. She also posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 6.2M→13.1M stretch, suggesting a confident middle portion. But Lydia Davenport, also of San Francisco, had been biding her time in 3rd. Davenport owned the fastest women's split on the 13.1M→20M leg — and that momentum carried her past Jursa in the closing miles. Davenport finished 2nd in 2:52:19 (6:34/mi); Jursa held on for 3rd in 2:54:13 (6:39/mi). Two runners, one decisive move.

Further back, Gabrielle Lieber, 27, from Richmond, CA, put together the most eye-catching trajectory of the day. Sitting 9th among women at the 6.2-mile mark, she steadily worked her way forward — 7th by the halfway point, 6th by mile 20 — before a 3rd-fastest women's closing split brought her home 5th in 2:58:32. Alex Wang rounded out the top four in 2:57:27, while Jonahmaria Weeks (2:59:22) and Sydney Georgiades (2:59:29) both edged under three hours to claim 6th and 7th. Madelyn Chandler, racing in her hometown of Saint Helena, finished 8th in 3:04:26, with Elizabeth Caparis (3:04:33) just seven seconds behind in 9th.