Shamrock'n Half Marathon F65-69: Holly Rouillard Johnson Runs Away With It

• Holly Rouillard Johnson won the F65-69 group in 1:54:17 (8:43/mi), finishing more than 9 minutes clear of runner-up Rosie Gilbert-Ahrens.
• Rosie Gilbert-Ahrens and Janice Sirois battled for the silver spot — separated by just 1:33 at the line, with Rosie edging 2nd in 2:03:22 to Janice's 2:04:55.
• The F65-69 field spread wide: from Holly's 1:54:17 to the 20th finisher's 3:25:21 — a 91-minute window across 23 finishers.
• Robin Diamond (age 69) and Derraugh Dawson battled through the back half, separated by just 2:13 at the finish (2:17:44 vs. 2:19:57).

Holly Rouillard Johnson, making the trip from Edwards, Colorado, was never seriously threatened. She moved steadily through the women's field — climbing from 249th among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 189th by Mile 11 — and her 8:43/mi average held firm across 13.1 miles on a cool, clear Sacramento morning. The win wasn't close; it was commanding.

Behind her, Rosie Gilbert-Ahrens of Red Bluff ran a tactically interesting race. She moved well through the early miles, advancing from 244th to 227th among women by the halfway point — but faded in the back half, slipping to 379th among women by the finish. Her strongest stretch came between Mile 5.13 and the halfway mark, where she posted the 206th-fastest women's split on that segment. She held on for 2nd in 2:03:22, though Janice Sirois of Roseville was closing. Sirois ran a more consistent line, posting the 405th-fastest women's split on the Mile 2.04-to-Mile 5.13 segment, and finished just 1:33 back in 2:04:55.

The 4th-5th battle had its own drama. Robin Diamond (Sacramento, age 69) crossed in 2:17:44, while Derraugh Dawson of Davis — who actually posted the 769th-fastest women's split from Mile 11 to the finish — couldn't quite close the gap, finishing 2:13 behind in 2:19:57. Lynn Marshall and Cyndi Litzko rounded out the top seven within a 31-second window, both hovering around 10:45/mi pace. All 23 finishers in the F65-69 group completed the course on a fine March day in West Sacramento.