F35-39: Hirondel Runs Down the Women's Lead and Never Lets Go

• Blandine L Hirondel won the F35-39 field in 21:58:01 (12:11/mi) — finishing 2nd among all women at the line, just 21 minutes 5 seconds ahead of runner-up Rachel Entrekin.
• Rachel Entrekin clocked the fastest women's split on the Les Contamines Montjoie→La Balme leg en route to 2nd in 22:19:06, while Careth Arnold posted the fastest women's split on Col de Voza→Saint-Gervais to claim 3rd in 23:08:32.
• Katarzyna Dombrowska was the field's biggest mover: starting the race ranked 36th among women, she climbed to 6th overall among women by the finish — powered by the 2nd-fastest women's split on Col de la Seigne→Lac Combal — finishing 4th in 23:30:46.
• Amanda Basham and Leah Yingling crossed within 7 seconds of each other — 5th in 24:21:21 and 6th in 24:21:28 — after Basham posted the 4th-fastest women's split on the Vallorcine Sortie→La Flégère leg.

Hirondel didn't just win — she seized control and held it through 174 kilometers of the Mont-Blanc massif. She entered the race as the 2nd-ranked woman and moved to the front after the first checkpoint, staying there for every segment that followed. Her decisive blow came on the Lac Combal→Arête du Mont-Favre stretch, where she posted the fastest women's split in the field. Crossing Chamonix in 21:58:01 — inside the women's course record of 22:09:31 — this was a performance that defined the entire women's race, not just her age group.

Entrekin was her closest shadow all day, tracking her at 3rd, then 2nd among women from the second checkpoint onward. Her fastest women's split on the Les Contamines Montjoie→La Balme leg showed she was pushing hard, but Hirondel had already opened a gap that 22-plus hours of racing couldn't close. Arnold made it a genuine three-way podium story, climbing from 7th among women at the start to eventually settle 3rd in 23:08:32, her Col de Voza→Saint-Gervais split the sharpest tool in her kit.

The race's most dramatic arc belonged to Dombrowska, who was buried in 36th place among women after the opening leg. Segment by segment — fueled by that blistering Col de la Seigne→Lac Combal split — she carved her way into the top 10 and ultimately 4th place. The late race brought one more subplot: Basham and Yingling ran the final stages in near-lockstep, separated by just seven seconds after more than 24 hours on course, with Basham's strong Vallorcine Sortie→La Flégère effort making the finish that much tighter. Behind them, 49 more women completed one of ultrarunning's most demanding circuits, all within the 45-hour limit.