Shamrock Marathon F35-39: Staci Huelat Runs Down the Field

• Huelat wins in 2:55:00 (6:40/mi), climbing from 5th among women at the halfway point to 1st by mile 20 — the fastest women's split from 20K to the half sealed the move.
• Closest battle of the day: Kathryn Bowser and Patricia Kreuzberger finished 3rd and 4th in F35-39, separated by just one second — 3:19:44 to 3:19:45 — after 26.2 miles in 71°F heat and 17 mph wind.
• Beth Marzigliano posted the 6th-fastest women's split from 10K to 15K and ran as high as 7th among women before fading to 17th in the women's field by the finish, ending 2nd in F35-39 at 3:12:12.
• Ashley Kliebert was the group's strongest closer, recording the 25th-fastest women's split from 30K to 35K on her way to 5th in F35-39.

Staci Huelat of Wellington, FL delivered the defining performance of the F35-39 group on a tough day — 71°F, 73% humidity, and a 17 mph wind off the Virginia Beach coast. Running at a 6:40/mi clip, she was already in contention early, sitting 5th among women through the first half. Then came the move: she posted the fastest women's split from 20K to the half, and by mile 20 she had climbed to 2nd among women. From there she didn't look back, crossing in 2:55:00 to take the F35-39 title and ultimately 1st among women overall.

Marzigliano ran a strong middle portion — her 6th-fastest women's split from 10K to 15K had her surging through the field — but the back half of the marathon in those conditions took its toll, and she faded from 7th among women to 17th. Still, her 3:12:12 was good for a clear 2nd in F35-39, more than seven minutes clear of the podium battle below her.

That battle was something else entirely. Bowser and Kreuzberger ran 26.2 miles and ended up separated by a single second — 3:19:44 to 3:19:45. Bowser had the stronger early legs, posting the 9th-fastest women's split from 5K to 10K, while Kreuzberger was still climbing as late as the final stretch, recording the 28th-fastest women's split from mile 25.2 to the finish. One second. In a 111-woman field on a windy March morning, that's as close as it gets without being a tie.