Women's Marathon: Elias surges to the win in a stunning second-half charge

• Amber Elias, 22, wins in 2:59:41 (6:51/mi), climbing from 3rd at the halfway point to take the title with the second-fastest women's second-half split.
• Emma Boyd, 18, posts the fastest women's second-half split in the entire women's field, rocketing from 10th at the halfway mark all the way to 3rd at 3:02:05.
• Top five separated by just 3:15, with 4th (Madelyn Chandler, 3:02:25) and 5th (Deanna Cusick, 3:02:56) running 6:57 and 6:59/mi respectively.
• Defending champion Krista Drechsler returns to Santa Rosa and finishes 12th in 3:09:34.

The story of the women's marathon was written in the second half. At the halfway point, Alexa Lua held 2nd and Amber Elias sat 3rd — but Elias had other plans. Running a 6:51/mi average across 26.2 miles, she turned in the second-fastest second-half split among all the women and came through the finish line first in 2:59:41, breaking the tape ahead of Lua's 3:01:06. That's a real gap — 85 seconds — earned by a 22-year-old from El Sobrante who ran the back half better than almost anyone in the field.

The most dramatic move of the day, though, belonged to Emma Boyd. The 18-year-old from Vacaville was sitting 10th at halfway, and then uncorked the single fastest second-half split among all 408 women to finish 3rd in 3:02:05. That's not a drift forward — that's a deliberate, sustained surge that swallowed seven competitors over 13 miles. Boyd's 6:57/mi average tells you she was disciplined throughout; the back half tells you she was saving something.

Madelyn Chandler (4th, 3:02:25, 6:57/mi) and Deanna Cusick (5th, 3:02:56, 6:59/mi) both held their positions from halfway, running controlled and competitive races to round out a top five that finished within three and a half minutes of each other. Danielle O'Brien, 42, was the top masters finisher, crossing 6th in 3:03:39, while Katie Valdes and Shari Costanzo — both 49 — came in 7th (3:05:41) and 8th (3:06:44).

Defending champion Krista Drechsler, who won this race in 2023 in 2:57:33, returned to her home course in Santa Rosa and finished 12th in 3:09:34. On a flat, fast Boston Qualifier course through Sonoma County's wine country, the 2024 women's field ran hard — but it was Elias who ran the smartest second half.