F70+ Santa Rosa Marathon: Joung Lim Owns the Field

• Sole finisher, undisputed champion: Joung Lim, 73, crossed in 4:39:49 at a 10:40/mi average pace.
• Strong second half: Lim posted the 249th-fastest women's split on the 13.1M→Finish stretch, moving up 16 spots in the women's field over that closing half.
• Consistent mover: Lim advanced from 275th to 259th among women from the halfway point to the finish line.

There was only one woman bold enough to toe the line in the F70+ field at the 2025 Santa Rosa Marathon, and Joung Lim of Glendale, CA made every step count. The 73-year-old ran 26.2 miles through the misty Sonoma County morning — 55°F, thick with humidity — and claimed the top spot by the only margin that matters: she finished.

What makes Lim's effort more than a participation story is the second half of her race. From mile 13.1 to the finish, she ran the 249th-fastest women's split in the entire women's field, climbing from 275th to 259th among women over those final miles. That's not someone hanging on — that's someone running with purpose and picking people off when it counts.

At 4:39:49, Lim covered Santa Rosa's flat, fast course at a steady 10:40 per mile, a pace that demands discipline and endurance at any age. On a day when the mist hung low and the humidity pressed at 92%, finishing a marathon at 73 is a statement all its own. Joung Lim made it, claimed her finisher medal and full-zip jacket, and stood alone atop the F70+ podium — because she showed up and saw it through.