Masters Women 5K: Bean Runs Away in the Cold

• Heidi Bean won in 24:05 (7:45/mi), finishing 20 seconds clear of runner-up Jenn Pierce (24:25, 7:52/mi).
• Stacy Clausnitzer, 61, claimed 4th in 28:13 — the top finisher in the field by age — sandwiched between two athletes more than a decade younger.
• Places 3 through 6 were separated by just 10 seconds: Tana Hanzal Herr (28:10), Clausnitzer (28:13), Jenny Schirado (28:16), and Katie Williams (28:20).
• 84 women finished the Masters 5K on a crisp 39°F morning in Bismarck.

Heidi Bean, 48, of Bismarck made the home crowd proud, crossing in 24:05 at a 7:45/mi clip to take the Masters Women title. Jenn Pierce of Colton, SD gave chase at 7:52/mi and finished in 24:25 — competitive, but Bean had the gap well in hand. Behind that front pair, the next finisher, Tana Hanzal Herr (28:10), arrived more than three and a half minutes later, signaling that the top two ran in a class of their own on this cold September morning.

The real drama in the Masters Women race played out in that tight cluster for 3rd through 6th. Hanzal Herr, 49, held off Stacy Clausnitzer by just three seconds, and Clausnitzer — at 61, the oldest finisher in the top 20 — crossed in 28:13, one of the most impressive results of the morning. Jenny Schirado (28:16) and Katie Williams (28:20) rounded out the top six within that same 10-second window, making four athletes essentially inseparable at the line.

Stacey Berman (7th, 28:38) and Dorinda Rutschke (8th, 28:42) kept the pack honest just behind, while Sr. Melissa Cote (10th, 29:38) and Robin Dennis (12th, 30:09) extended a deep and competitive Masters field well past the front runners. With 84 finishers braving near-freezing temperatures and a brisk wind, the Masters Women turned in a field worth watching from front to back.