F60-69 at Rio Del Lago 100: D'Onofrio Leads Wire to Wire

• Kathy D'Onofrio finished in 24:40:01 — a 14:48/mi average across 100 miles — to claim 1st in the F60-69 age group.
• Patty Shijo completed the full century in 27:14:51, finishing 2nd in F60-69 with a 16:21/mi average.
• D'Onofrio posted the 14th-fastest split among women on the Beals Point–Willow Creek segment, one of her sharpest stretches of the race.
• Shijo answered with the 22nd-fastest women's split on the ALT–Cool leg, a standout moment late in her race.

Two women lined up in the F60-69 age group at Rio Del Lago, and both of them finished — no small feat at a 100-miler in early-November California heat. Kathy D'Onofrio, 61, of Carson City, set the pace from the start and never relinquished her lead, crossing in 24:40:01 at 14:48 per mile. Patty Shijo, 66, of Sacramento, was right where she needed to be throughout — patient, consistent, and ultimately a finisher in 27:14:51.

D'Onofrio's race was defined by steady positioning among the broader women's field. She moved fluidly through the middle stages, and her best moment came on the Beals Point–Willow Creek segment, where she ran the 14th-fastest women's split in the field — a burst of efficiency that underscored how controlled her effort was across the full distance. Her overall margin of nearly two and a half hours over Shijo reflects a race run with confidence from start to finish.

Shijo's story is one of quiet endurance. Holding a consistent position deep in the women's field for most of the race, she found her best gear on the ALT–Cool segment, posting the 22nd-fastest women's split there — a meaningful push at a point in a 100-miler when many runners are simply surviving. At 66 years old, finishing Rio Del Lago in under 27:15 is a performance worth marking. Both women crossed the line. In a race this long, that's the first victory — everything else is detail.