Shamrock Marathon N20-24: Blue Savedge Goes the Distance Solo

• Sole finisher in the N20-24 age group, Blue Savedge crossed in 5:22:13 — a 12:17/mi average across 26.2 miles in challenging conditions.
• Held 3rd among women from the opening checkpoint all the way to the finish line, never yielding that spot.
• Produced the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 30K–35K segment, a standout stretch in a race that asked plenty of everyone.

Blue Savedge had no rivals to chase in the N20-24 age group — she was the only one who showed up and got it done — but the 22-year-old from Luray made the race worth watching anyway. Virginia Beach delivered a tough afternoon: 71°F, 73% humidity, and a 17 mph wind that had no interest in cooperating. Under those conditions, a 5:22:13 finish demands respect on its own terms.

What makes Savedge's run more than a solo effort is what she did between the 30K and 35K marks. In a women's field that had been racing for well over four hours by that point, she posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on that segment — a surge when most runners are simply trying to hold form. It's the kind of move that shows someone still racing, not just finishing.

She sat 3rd among women from start to finish, never dropping a place, never gaining one — a picture of composed, controlled racing. In heat and wind that reshaped a lot of people's days, that steadiness over 26.2 miles is its own achievement.