Two Cities Marathon F35-39: Springfels Runs Away with It

• Dani Springfels won the F35-39 group in 3:01:50 (6:56/mi), climbing from 5th to 4th among all women on the back half with the 4th-fastest women's closing split from 10K to the finish.
• Colleen Boivin held 2nd in 3:13:17 — a full 11:27 back — but faded from 4th to 8th among women over the final stretch while Springfels was surging.
• Ali Bartosch (3:27:09) and Maria Cristina Garvin (3:27:56) ran nearly identical races to claim 3rd and 4th, separated by just 47 seconds across 26.2 miles.
• The field spread wide: Nicole Nast (5th, 3:43:07) and Margarita Bayona (6th, 3:43:27) were separated by just 20 seconds, while the gap from 1st to 20th spanned more than two hours.

Dani Springfels put on a textbook negative-split performance on Two Cities' flat, Boston-qualifying course. Running a 6:56/mi average, she not only locked up the F35-39 title but was climbing through the overall women's field in the second half — moving from 5th to 4th among all women while posting the 4th-fastest women's split from the 10K mark to the finish. On a course known for rewarding disciplined pacing, Springfels executed.

Colleen Boivin had the early foothold, sitting 4th among women through 10K, but the second half told a different story. Her 7:22/mi average was meaningfully slower than Springfels' closing pace, and she slipped to 8th among women by the tape — finishing in 3:13:17, a solid result, but one that illustrated exactly how much ground changed hands in those final miles.

The battle for 3rd was one of the tightest sub-plots of the day. Clovis native Ali Bartosch (3:27:09) and Fresno's Maria Cristina Garvin (3:27:56) ran stride-for-stride in terms of outcome, both moving from the 9th–10th women's positions at 10K to 15th–16th by the finish — fading slightly in the women's field but holding their ground against each other. Forty-seven seconds separated them after 26.2 miles. Just behind, Nicole Nast (3:43:07) and Margarita Bayona (3:43:27) staged their own quiet duel, with only 20 seconds deciding 5th from 6th.