San Francisco Marathon — F19 & Under: Turpin Holds Off Late-Charging Johnson in Thriller

• Emma Turpin wins in 3:18:11 (7:34/mi), edging Grace Johnson by just 21 seconds after 26.2 miles.
• Grace Johnson's comeback: started 97th among women, finished 13th — one of the biggest moves in the women's field on the day.
• Romie Llewellyn rounds out the podium in 3:37:51, nearly four minutes clear of 4th-place Doreen Chang (3:41:38).
• 22 finishers completed the F19 & Under race, with 15-year-old Anna Sandhu (5:12:40) among the youngest to cross.

Emma Turpin of Santa Clara claimed the F19 & Under title in 3:18:11, averaging 7:34 per mile across the full course. She held steady in the women's field throughout — sitting 10th among women for most of the race before a small drift late — and posted the 10th-fastest women's split on the opening 2.2-to-5.7-mile stretch to establish her rhythm early. In the end, 21 seconds was the margin, but the real story is that she had to earn every one of them.

That's because Grace Johnson was coming. The San Francisco local started 97th among women and just kept climbing — 76th, then 59th, 45th, 36th, and all the way to 13th by the finish. Her 7th-fastest women's split on the 10.92 Miles–to–Garmin Hill Challenge segment was the engine of that charge, and she crossed in 3:18:32 at the same 7:34/mi average pace. The finish times were separated by a sliver; the paths to get there could not have been more different — Turpin measured and consistent, Johnson relentlessly accelerating from deep in the field.

Romie Llewellyn of Orlando secured 3rd in 3:37:51, also turning in the 30th-fastest women's Hill Challenge split to hold her position. Doreen Chang (3:41:38) ran a strong early race — sitting as high as 35th among women at mid-race — before fading in the back half to finish 4th. Coco Steel (3:55:29) and Jennifer O'Byrne (3:57:15) rounded out the top six, separated by under two minutes.

Further down, 17-year-old Sabina Morgan (4:38:07) and 15-year-old Anna Sandhu (5:12:40) deserve a mention simply for toeing the line — running 26.2 miles through San Francisco's hills at those ages is no small thing, and both finished.