Two Cities Marathon F60-64: Cato Claims the Age Group Crown

• Nancy Cato won the F60-64 age group in 4:41:03 (10:43/mi), surging from 76th to 65th among all women in the back half.
• Cathy Minshall finished 2nd in 5:04:14 (11:36/mi), also a strong closer — moving from 126th to 87th among women after the 10K mark.
• Sheri Okamoto completed her marathon in 6:22:42 (14:36/mi), finishing 3rd in the age group at age 64.
• The winner's margin: 23:11 over Minshall, with another 1:18:28 back to Okamoto.

Nancy Cato, 62, from Porterville, CA, put together the strongest run in the F60-64 age group on Two Cities' flat, Boston-qualifier course. Her 4:41:03 at a 10:43/mi clip was the clear benchmark of the day, and she didn't just hold steady — she climbed from 76th to 65th among all women in the race after the 10K, posting the 64th-fastest women's split on that closing stretch. On a course designed for PRs, that kind of late-race momentum is exactly what the point-to-point layout rewards.

Cathy Minshall, 63, from Reno, was the other notable mover in the group. Her 5:04:14 finish at 11:36/mi came with an even more dramatic position swing — from 126th to 87th among women after the 10K — the 84th-fastest women's closing split in the field. She ran the back half with purpose, closing the gap on the women around her even if the 23-minute deficit to Cato was too large to overcome.

Sheri Okamoto, 64, of Los Angeles, rounded out the three-woman age group with a 6:22:42 finish at 14:36/mi. At the oldest age in the group, she brought it home in 141st among women — a solid completion of a demanding 26.2 miles along the Fresno/Clovis border.