Women's Ultramarathon: McManus Surges Late to Take the Win

• Lisa McManus won in 7:27:02 (8:32/mi), posting the fastest women's split on the second half to move from 2nd to 1st and edge Lisa Hughey by 2:49.
• Lisa Hughey (7:29:51) held the lead through the first marathon but faded enough to be caught — a massive improvement on her 3rd-place, 8:06:39 finish here in 2024.
• Iris Martinez ran a steady race from wire to wire, never leaving 3rd, finishing in 7:47:56 — nearly 19 minutes back of Hughey but a comfortable 24 minutes clear of 4th.
• Jennifer Tobits, the 2023 champion in 9:29:42, returned to finish 9th in 9:06:43 — more than 23 minutes faster than her winning time two years ago.

Lisa Hughey led the women's field for the entire first marathon, posting the 2nd-fastest women's split on that opening leg at 8:35/mi pace. But McManus — running the first half in 2nd and clocking the fastest women's split on that same stretch — had enough left in reserve to flip the race on the back half of this 52.4-mile double marathon through San Francisco's fog-cooled streets. At 56°F and 93% humidity, the conditions were demanding but manageable, and McManus made the most of them, crossing in 7:27:02 to claim the win by 2 minutes and 49 seconds.

Iris Martinez was the picture of consistency, holding 3rd from start to finish in 7:47:56 (8:56/mi). Behind her, 23-year-old local Sydney Chesta — running on her home streets — finished 4th in 8:12:12, with Cindy Zhao rounding out the top five in 8:18:46. Anna Vasina, 51, was the top masters finisher in 6th at 8:26:39, edging Qingxia Yu by just 77 seconds for that honor.

One of the most compelling storylines deeper in the field belonged to Jennifer Tobits. The 2023 champion — who won that year in 9:29:42 — came back in 2025 and finished 9th in 9:06:43, running more than 23 minutes faster than her title-winning effort. Lynn Beltran, 60, also returned from 2023 (5th in 10:13:11) to finish 17th in 10:25:11, completing two full laps of the San Francisco Marathon course — Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Embarcadero, and all — in under ten and a half hours.