SF Half Marathon F80+: Carolyn Karis Leads a Field That Rewrites What 80+ Looks Like

• Carolyn Karis, 84, took the F80+ title in 3:25:52 (15:42/mi), finishing nearly 1:31:00 ahead of the runner-up.
• Sharon Kerson, 84, claimed 2nd in 4:56:52; Gloria Bassler, 89, earned 3rd in 5:08:35; Lynn Costa, 87, rounded out the four-finisher field in 5:20:10.
• Bassler and Costa ran the 9.6M→10.5M segment within a breath of each other — the 2905th- and 2904th-fastest women's splits on that stretch, respectively — with Costa ultimately finishing 11:35 back.
• All four finishers are 80 or older; the oldest, Gloria Bassler at 89, completed 13.1 miles through San Francisco's hills and 14 mph coastal winds.

Four women, all in their 80s, toed the line at the 2026 San Francisco Half Marathon and all four crossed the finish. On a breezy 59°F morning with a steady wind off the bay, Carolyn Karis of San Francisco made the course her own. The 84-year-old moved steadily through the women's field across the back half of the race — her gender place climbing from 2915 at the 8M mark all the way to 2873 by the finish — and posted a 3:25:52 at 15:42 per mile, a margin of victory that speaks to how cleanly she ran from start to finish.

Sharon Kerson, also 84, made her biggest move early, jumping from 2970th among women to 2928th in the opening stretch, and held on to finish 2nd in 4:56:52 at 22:39/mi. Behind her, the race between Gloria Bassler and Lynn Costa played out as a study in near-parallel effort. Both started fast relative to the field — Bassler moving as high as 1147th among women and Costa as high as 1139th — before settling into their paces as the miles accumulated. On the 9.6M→10.5M segment, the two were virtually inseparable, posting the 2905th- and 2904th-fastest women's splits in the field. Bassler held 3rd in 5:08:35 (23:32/mi); Costa finished 4th in 5:20:10 (24:25/mi).

Karis wins, but the real headline is that all four showed up, took on San Francisco's iconic course, and finished. At 89, Gloria Bassler is the oldest finisher in this field — and she covered every one of those 13.1 miles.