Santa Rosa 5K: Beverly Richert Wins the F60-69 Race in Dominant Fashion

• Beverly Richert, 66, wins in 27:40 (8:54/mi), clearing runner-up Denise Aslanian by 31 seconds in a field of 49.
• Tight podium battle: Aslanian (28:11, 9:04/mi) and 3rd-place Susan Strange (29:21, 9:27/mi) were separated by 1:10 — with local favorite Strange running on home soil in Santa Rosa.
• Top-5 spread: Just under four minutes covered the top five finishers, from Richert's 27:40 to Jacqueline Evans' 31:20.
• Deep and diverse field: 49 women finished, hailing from Missouri to Washington State to Illinois — a genuinely national turnout for a Northern California morning race.

Beverly Richert made the trip from Saint Louis, MO pay off in full. Running 8:54 per mile through the misty, humid Santa Rosa morning, the 66-year-old put 31 seconds on Denise Aslanian and never looked back. That margin — comfortable but not commanding — tells the story of a controlled, confident effort from wire to wire.

Aslanian, 65, from Whittier, CA, crossed in 28:11 at 9:04/mi to claim second, while Susan Strange, 60, gave the hometown crowd something to cheer with a 29:21 (9:27/mi) to round out the podium. Tresi Yinger (30:25, 9:47/mi) and Jacqueline Evans (31:20, 10:05/mi), both from the North Bay area, completed a top five that stayed tightly grouped through the finish.

Further back, Tracy McKenzie (33:13) and Julia Bringuel (33:23) were separated by just 10 seconds for 6th and 7th — the closest battle of the entire race. Kerry Franciscovich (34:11), Tina Southard (34:40), and Sherri Anderson (35:10) filled out the top ten, all clustered within a minute of each other. The 60°F mist and 91% humidity made for heavy air across the board, and the times throughout the field reflect the weight of that morning.