F75-79 Half Marathon: Rinker claims the age group in Folsom

• Barbara Rinker, 79, wins F75-79 in 2:36:32 — an 11:56/mi pace across 13.1 miles in 74°F heat.
• Ursula Uhlir, 76, finishes 2nd in 2:50:35 — 14 minutes and 3 seconds back.
• Both athletes gained ground among the women late, with Rinker climbing from 79th to 69th and Uhlir moving from 101st to 93rd in the women's field over the course of the race.
• Rinker posted the 66th-fastest women's split on the Mile 10→Finish stretch, edging out Uhlir (86th) in the closing miles.

It was a two-woman showdown in the F75-79 age group on a warm November morning along the parkway, and Barbara Rinker of Sacramento owned it from start to finish. Running 11:56 per mile across the full half marathon distance — at age 79, in 74-degree heat — she crossed in 2:36:32 to take the age-group win with authority.

What made Rinker's performance especially striking was how she finished. While many runners fade in the final miles under that kind of warmth, Rinker was still moving efficiently enough to post the 66th-fastest split among all women on the Mile 10-to-Finish segment. She also steadily climbed the women's standings throughout the race, advancing from 79th at the first checkpoint to 74th, then 69th by the finish line — a sign of a well-managed effort.

Ursula Uhlir of Fair Oaks wasn't far behind in spirit. The 76-year-old ran 13:01 per mile to finish in 2:50:35, and she too made moves late — rising from 101st to 93rd among the women over the back half of the race. Her closing split ranked 86th among all women on that same Mile 10→Finish stretch, a respectable push to the line. The 14-minute gap to Rinker tells the story of the age group, but Uhlir's finish was its own quiet achievement on a warm Folsom afternoon.