Non-Binary Marathon: Purser Leads Wire to Wire in Virginia Beach

• Jeremy Purser won the non-binary field in 3:17:44 (7:33/mi), holding 1st place at every checkpoint from start to finish.
• Deo Pagaragan held 2nd throughout, finishing in 4:26:29 — a gap of 1:08:45 back of Purser.
• Tara Santora (3rd, 4:48:24) and Leah O'Gorman (4th, 4:56:51) were separated by just 8:27 at the line.
• Eliana Fleischer (5th, 7:04:13) edged Kat Lewis (6th, 7:14:54) by 10:41 in a late-race shuffle that saw Fleischer briefly drop to 6th before reclaiming 5th.

Jeremy Purser was never challenged for the top spot. The Durham, NC 39-year-old posted the fastest split in the non-binary field on the 5K–10K segment and simply never looked back, running a disciplined 7:33/mi across 26.2 miles of Virginia Beach's damp, breezy morning — 55°F with 95% humidity and an 11 mph wind making every mile feel a touch heavier than the clock suggests. His 3:17:44 was a full 1:08:45 clear of the field.

Behind him, the race had its own compelling story. Deo Pagaragan of New York held 2nd place from the first checkpoint to the last, posting the second-fastest 5K–10K split in the field along the way and finishing in 4:26:29 at a steady 10:10/mi. Tara Santora, the 28-year-old from Centennial, CO, locked in 3rd at 4:48:24 — her strongest stretch came late, putting up the second-fastest split from 25.2 miles to the finish. Leah O'Gorman (4th, 4:56:51) countered with the third-fastest second-half split in the field, keeping the pressure on Santora through the back half even if the gap at the line held at 8:27.

The final chapter belonged to Eliana Fleischer and Kat Lewis, both Virginia locals. Fleischer, 24, from Norfolk, slipped to 6th place mid-race before recovering to finish 5th in 7:04:13 — her 5K–10K split ranked 5th in the field. Lewis, 30, from Richmond, rounded out the six-finisher field in 7:14:54, crossing 10:41 behind Fleischer.