Two Cities Marathon 5K — F65-69: Petrella Pulls Away from the Pack

• Lori Petrella won the F65-69 group in 29:50 (9:36/mi) — more than four minutes clear of the field.
• Carol Sheela took 2nd in 33:44 (10:51/mi), with Dale Huffman rounding out the podium in 38:22 (12:21/mi).
• The back half of the field was tightly clustered: Bette Stanford (9th, 56:33) and Julie Areias (10th, 56:38) were separated by just five seconds.
• Thirteen women lined up and finished in the F65-69 group, ranging from 29:50 to 1:13:37.

Lori Petrella, making the trip down from Edmonds, WA, was the dominant force in the F65-69 group on Sunday in Fresno. Her 29:50 finish at a 9:36/mi clip put her more than four minutes ahead of the next finisher — a margin that left no doubt about who owned this race from the front.

Carol Sheela, racing on home turf in Fresno, claimed 2nd in 33:44, running a steady 10:51/mi. Fellow Fresnan Dale Huffman completed the podium in 38:22 (12:21/mi), and the gap from there widened considerably as Diana Soares crossed 4th in 45:38 and Lori Massoni followed in 5th at 46:51 — just 1:13 between them. RoseMary Duran (6th, 49:12) and Belen Robles (7th, 52:01) kept the middle of the pack moving, with Jolene Palacio finishing 8th in 55:10.

The most compelling finish-line moment came near the back of the group, where Bette Stanford (9th, 56:33) and Julie Areias (10th, 56:38) arrived within five seconds of each other after 3.1 miles — a narrow but decisive gap settled by the clock. Pam Ferguson finished 11th in 1:05:05, Ollie Dimery-Ratliff was 12th in 1:08:45, and Elena Alsing completed the field in 13th at 1:13:37 — every one of them finishing a 5K on a Sunday morning in their mid-to-late 60s.