Run the Parkway 20 Miler: Dena Jansen wins the F60-64 race

• Dena Jansen took the F60-64 title in 3:24:09 (10:12/mi), finishing more than 4:49 ahead of runner-up Xiaoqin Zhang.
• Xiaoqin Zhang and Kathy Finney finished 2nd and 3rd separated by just 7 seconds — both clocked 3:28-something, with Zhang crossing in 3:28:58 and Finney in 3:29:05.
• Lisa Kuligowski was the strongest mover in the group, climbing from well outside the top 200 among women at the opening checkpoint all the way to 177th by the finish — a steady, relentless climb through the field.
• Jansen's 89th-fastest women's split on the Mile 16-to-Finish stretch was the sharpest closing segment among the F60-64 finishers, underscoring that she didn't just lead — she finished strong.

Dena Jansen had this race in hand from the start. Running at a 10:12/mi average through 74°F heat and broken clouds, she built a lead that only grew as the miles accumulated. Her gender place among all women actually dipped slightly in the middle miles — from 112th to 125th — before she reeled it back in, finishing 107th among women. That late recapture tells the story: Jansen was saving something, and she spent it wisely over the final stretch.

The real drama in F60-64 played out for the final podium spot. Xiaoqin Zhang ran a smart, ascending race — climbing from 152nd among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 120th at the finish, posting the 106th-fastest women's split between Mile 10 and Mile 15.6. But Kathy Finney was right on her heels the whole way, also climbing steadily through the women's field, and the two arrived at the line just 7 seconds apart. Finney's closing split (103rd-fastest among women on the Mile 16-to-Finish segment) was marginally sharper than Zhang's middle-race burst, but it wasn't quite enough to overturn the gap.

Behind the podium, Kaoru Furukawa Cruz held a steady 4th at 11:06/mi, while Lisa Kuligowski's persistent forward movement made her the group's most determined climber despite finishing 5th. Julie Hughes, Danya Swanson, and Suzanne Oyoung rounded out the eight finishers, separated by just under 5 minutes across the final three spots.