Two Cities Marathon F25-29: Bastidas Surges to the Win in 3:01:22

• Gracielita Bastidas won the F25-29 age group in 3:01:22 (6:55/mi), climbing from 6th to 3rd among women overall on the strength of the 3rd-fastest women's split from 10K to the finish.
• Claire Jennings took 2nd in 3:21:42 — a solid 7:42/mi — though she faded from 8th to 12th among women in the back half.
• Ashlyn Hulse and Gretchen Ruch finished 3rd and 4th in 3:49:23 and 3:54:26, with Ruch actually gaining ground late — moving from 41st to 26th among women — while Hulse slipped from 20th to 25th.
• 22 women finished in the F25-29 age group, with the field spanning from Bastidas's 3:01 to times beyond 6:16.

Gracielita Bastidas, a 25-year-old from Fresno, owned this race from the gun and only got stronger. She started the day sitting 6th among all women, then turned the screws from the 10K mark to the finish, posting the 3rd-fastest women's split over that stretch and vaulting to 3rd in the women's field by the tape. On a USATF-certified, point-to-point course designed for fast times, her 6:55/mi average was a statement — and the age group win wasn't close.

Claire Jennings of Los Angeles crossed in 3:21:22 — a comfortable 20-minute gap back — but her second half told a different story. She slipped from 8th to 12th among women after the 10K mark, posting only the 14th-fastest women's split over that stretch. The gap between her and Bastidas wasn't just a matter of pace; Bastidas was actively hunting while Jennings was holding on.

The battle for 3rd and 4th was the age group's most interesting subplot. Ashlyn Hulse of Valley Springs came in 3rd at 3:49:23, but Gretchen Ruch of Kingsburg was closing. Ruch ran the 10K-to-finish stretch as the 26th-fastest among women — just one spot behind Hulse's 25th — while climbing from 41st to 26th in the women's field. She finished 4th in 3:54:26, just over five minutes back. Gaby Mendoza rounded out the top five in 3:55:29, also gaining ground late and finishing only 63 seconds behind Ruch.