F65-69: Hennessy Leads Wire to Wire in Fresno

• Mary Hennessy won the F65-69 age group in 5:26:49 (12:28/mi), holding a consistent position among the women throughout the race.
• Jeannette Lambel finished 2nd in 6:26:04 (14:43/mi) — nearly an hour back of Hennessy, but closed her race with the 182nd-fastest women's split on the final stretch (25.2M to the finish).
• Deb Burgess rounded out the three-woman group in 7:40:28 (17:34/mi), posting the 207th-fastest women's split on the 18M–19.8M segment.

Three women lined up for the F65-69 age group at the Two Cities Marathon on a warm November morning in Fresno — 74°F and clear skies making for demanding late-race conditions. Mary Hennessy of Sacramento set the pace from the gun and never relinquished it, crossing the line in 5:26:49 at 12:28/mi to claim the age-group win outright.

Hennessy's hold on the women's field was steady throughout — she tracked between 157th and 168th among all women across every checkpoint, even finding a gear late in the race to post the 158th-fastest women's split on the 23M–25.2M stretch. That kind of composure in the final miles, in the heat, is worth noting.

Jeannette Lambel of Fresno ran her home marathon to a 2nd-place finish in 6:26:04 (14:43/mi), nearly 60 minutes behind Hennessy. Lambel moved from 182nd among women at the start to 201st by mid-race and held that position to the end, finishing with the 182nd-fastest women's split on the closing 25.2M-to-finish segment — a solid close to a long afternoon.

Deb Burgess of Clovis completed the age group in 7:40:28 at 17:34/mi, finishing 3rd. She was the most consistent of the three in terms of women's field position over the second half, holding steady around 211th from 18 miles onward and delivering the 207th-fastest women's split on the 18M–19.8M stretch. All three women finished — no small thing over 26.2 miles in November heat.