F75-79: Tellefson Runs Away from the Field at Shamrock'n 5K

• Nancy Tellefson, 75, won the F75-79 age group in 42:21 — nearly 10 minutes clear of 2nd place.
• Mary Del Monte, 79, edged Sandra Jochim for 2nd: 52:28 to 53:12, a 44-second margin.
• Six women, ages 75–79, finished the 5K on a cool, clear morning in West Sacramento.
• Francie Rupert placed 4th in 55:22, with Helen Duncan (59:35) and Jeannine Sheridan (1:04:26) rounding out the group.

Nancy Tellefson made the F75-79 race her own from the start. The Auburn native crossed in 42:21 at a 13:38-per-mile clip — a pace that left the rest of the age group nearly 10 minutes behind. That kind of margin doesn't happen by accident; Tellefson was simply operating at a different level on this Saturday morning.

Behind her, the real drama unfolded between Mary Del Monte and Sandra Jochim. Del Monte, the oldest finisher in the group at 79, claimed 2nd in 52:28, holding off Sacramento's Jochim by 44 seconds. Given that Jochim runs at 17:08 per mile, those 44 seconds represent a gap that was hard-fought and hard-held over 3.1 miles.

Francie Rupert settled into 4th in 55:22, while Helen Duncan — racing on home turf in West Sacramento — finished 5th in 59:35. Jeannine Sheridan of Stockton closed out the group in 1:04:26, completing all six F75-79 starters as finishers on a humid but manageable 54°F morning. Every one of them toed the line and crossed it — that's the whole story right there.