F18-20: Neralagi dominates as seven young women tackle Napa in the rain

• Nandini Neralagi won the F18-20 field in 3:14:17 (7:25/mi), finishing 19th among all women — the only finisher in this group to break 3:30.
• Sally Peterson ran 3:48:24 to claim 2nd, more than 34 minutes back — a gap that tells the whole story of how decisive the win was.
• Leah Ryan (3:57:13) edged Leah Cederborg (4:04:35) for 3rd, with Ryan holding a 7:22 cushion at the line.
• Leah Cederborg was a cautionary tale of pacing: she entered the women's field at 46th through the early miles before fading to 215th by the finish.

Seven young women toed the line in Napa on a raw, 41°F morning — light rain, high humidity, and a course that has seen some of the fastest women's times in the race's recent history. None of that deterred Nandini Neralagi, who ran a commanding 7:25/mi from San Jose and was never seriously threatened in the F18-20 field. Her gender place held steady at 11th through the first half before drifting back to 19th — a modest fade that still left her posting the 11th-fastest women's split on the 6.2-to-13.1-mile stretch. In a field of seven, she was in a class of her own.

Behind her, the race had its own drama. Leah Cederborg of Santa Rosa was the most aggressive early mover, sitting 46th among women through the opening segment — a remarkable position that put her well ahead of her F18-20 rivals on pace. But that pace came at a cost. By the 13.1-mile mark she had slipped to 190th among women, and she crossed in 4:04:35, 4th in the group. Meanwhile, Oakland's Sally Peterson ran a steadier race to 2nd in 3:48:24, and 18-year-old Leah Ryan of Deerfield, IL held on for 3rd in 3:57:13 — crossing just ahead of Cederborg after a more consistent second half.

Natasha Beitz (4:20:28, 5th) and Jubilee Adams (4:23:56, 6th) finished within three and a half minutes of each other, while Riva Hecht of San Francisco closed out the field in 4:44:58. All seven finished — no small thing on a wet, chilly Napa morning.