N35-39 Marathon: VanUffelen takes the age group in Virginia Beach heat

• Julie VanUffelen won the N35-39 group in 4:30:24 (10:19/mi), holding 2nd among women from wire to wire and owning the fastest women's split on the final 25.2M→Finish stretch.
• Kyle Sheets completed the two-person field in 5:15:27 (12:02/mi), herself posting the fastest women's split on the 5K→10K segment early on.
• The gap between the two finishers was 45 minutes and 3 seconds — a wide spread across a brutally warm day: 71°F, 73% humidity, and a 17 mph wind off Virginia Beach.

Just two women toed the line representing the 35–39 age group at the 2025 Shamrock Marathon, but both earned their finishes on a day that made every mile a negotiation. The conditions — thick humidity, persistent wind, and temperatures pushing into the low 70s — turned this into a war of attrition as much as a race.

VanUffelen was the steadier force throughout. She locked into 2nd among the women early and never relinquished it, running a disciplined 10:19-per-mile pace that paid off most visibly in the closing miles. Her fastest women's split came on the 25.2M→Finish segment — meaning she was still moving with authority when others were fading hardest. That's a strong closer's signature on a tough course.

Sheets had her own moment of brilliance: the fastest women's split on the 5K→10K leg showed she came out with real intent. The early pace didn't carry through to the finish — a 5:15:27 final time and 12:02/mi average tells the story of a long afternoon — but finishing a marathon in those conditions is its own achievement. She held on to complete the distance and give the N35-39 group a full two-for-two showing.