F0-14: Ariel Maxson Dominates the Youngest Women's Group

• Ariel Maxson, 13, wins in 1:49:07 (8:19/mi), finishing 10:56 ahead of the only other finisher in the group.
• Eleina Cortez, 14, crossed in 2:00:03 (9:09/mi) to claim 2nd.
• Maxson's closing kick: the 19th-fastest women's split on the 10K-to-Finish stretch — a surge that moved her from 96th to 35th among all women.
• Cortez held steady through the back half, advancing from 143rd to 103rd among the women on the same closing segment.

With just two finishers in the F0-14 age group, every placement mattered — and 13-year-old Ariel Maxson made hers count emphatically. Running 8:19 per mile across 13.1 miles, Maxson crossed in 1:49:07, a performance that wasn't just dominant within her age group but genuinely impressive across the entire women's field.

The real story is what Maxson did in the second half of the race. She entered the 10K mark sitting 96th among women — already a strong position — and then unleashed the 19th-fastest women's split on the 10K-to-Finish stretch, rocketing all the way up to 35th among women by the finish line. That's not just winning her age group; that's racing through the broader field with real purpose.

Eleina Cortez, 14, from Madera, ran a measured race to 2nd place in 2:00:03 at 9:09 per mile. Cortez was remarkably consistent in her women's field positioning through the first 10K — moving just two spots, from 141st to 143rd — before finding another gear on the closing stretch to advance to 103rd among women. The 10:56 gap to Maxson was wide, but Cortez's finishing push showed she wasn't simply running out the clock.

Two young runners from the Central Valley, both still in their early teens, completing a half marathon — and one of them posting a closing split that ranked among the fastest in the entire women's field. That's the F0-14 story from the 2024 Two Cities Marathon Half.