F70+ Half Marathon: Pollock edges Kirscher in a 13-second thriller

• Sue Pollock, 75, wins in 2:51:27 — a 13:05/mi effort that held off Patricia Kirscher by just 13 seconds.
• Pollock surged on the back half, climbing from 777th to 747th among women on the 7M→Finish segment; Kirscher, who had been moving with her, faded slightly to 752nd on that same stretch — the gap that decided the race.
• Karen Ostlund, 81, finishes 4th in 3:19:37 — the oldest finisher in the F70+ field and one of two 81-year-olds to complete the race.
• Nine women finished in cool, humid 52°F conditions, spanning a range from 2:51:27 to 3:54:10.

Sue Pollock of Novato made it count when it mattered. Through the first seven miles she and Patricia Kirscher of Pleasanton were locked together, but on the 7M→Finish stretch Pollock found another gear — posting the 715th-fastest women's split on that segment — while Kirscher slipped back to 748th. That difference in the closing miles produced the 13-second margin at the tape: Pollock in 2:51:27, Kirscher in 2:51:40. Two athletes, nearly identical finish times, but a genuine catch-up story underneath.

Laura Roney of Santa Rosa — racing on home roads — took 3rd in 3:07:02 (14:16/mi), finishing more than 15 minutes clear of the top two but strong enough to move up from 845th to 833rd among women over the final stretch. Behind her, Karen Ostlund of Austin made a quiet statement: at 81, she covered 13.1 miles in 3:19:37 to claim 4th, gaining 20 places among women in the back half. Kathi Glasshagel, 77, rounded out the top five in 3:25:30.

Geri Putman (3:28:54), Pamela Wilson (3:35:55), Nancy Mitrick (3:36:43), and Deborah Mortenson (3:54:10) completed the nine-woman field. Mitrick, also 81, joined Ostlund in finishing a half marathon at that age — a feat worth noting on its own. All nine crossed the line in brisk, clear conditions, with the cool morning air doing little to soften what is, at any pace, 13.1 miles of honest work.