F25-29: Lieber closes strong to claim Napa in 2:58:32

• Gabrielle Lieber won the F25-29 field in 2:58:32 (6:49/mi), posting the 3rd-fastest women's closing split from 20M to the finish to seal the victory.
• Sydney Georgiades pushed all the way to the line, finishing 2nd in 2:59:29 — just 57 seconds back — with the 4th-fastest women's closing split of anyone in the women's field.
• Erin Edmundson ran the strongest finish of any podium runner, climbing from 18th among women at the early checkpoint all the way to 3rd in F25-29 by the finish (3:06:49), backed by the 5th-fastest women's closing split.
• Abigail Lindquist (4th, 3:14:50) was another big mover, advancing from 56th among women early on to 20th by the finish — the 11th-fastest women's closing split in the field.

A cool, rain-soaked morning in Napa — 41°F and light rain — set the stage for a competitive F25-29 field of 136 finishers. Gabrielle Lieber, 27, of Richmond, CA, ran a patient, methodical race. She sat 9th among women through the early miles, then steadily worked her way forward — 7th, 6th, 5th — before uncorking one of the fastest closing stretches in the women's field. Her 6:49/mi average tells the story of a runner who never let the conditions slow her down.

Sydney Georgiades, 25, from New York, was actually running ahead of Lieber through the middle miles, holding 6th among women at the halfway mark. But while Georgiades maintained her position — hovering at 6th and 7th throughout — Lieber was moving. By the time the 20M mark arrived, Lieber had the lead in F25-29, and both women then produced two of the four fastest closing splits in the entire women's field. The result: a 57-second gap at the tape, with Georgiades crossing in 2:59:29 for a strong runner-up finish.

The closing miles belonged to the chasers, too. Erin Edmundson, 25, of San Francisco, was 18th among women early and kept climbing — reaching 11th by the finish — to claim 3rd in F25-29 at 3:06:49. Behind her, Abigail Lindquist (4th, 3:14:50) and Kelly Maloney (5th, 3:15:45) both surged late, each posting top-20 women's closing splits. Lindquist's journey from 56th among women in the early miles to 20th at the finish was the most dramatic positional climb of anyone in the F25-29 field.