Way Too Cool 10M Women's 20-29: Hanneman Dominates from the Front

• Sara Hanneman won the F20-29 group in 1:31:01 (9:06/mi), holding 2nd among all women from start to finish.
• Noelle Berexa and Naomi Furuya were separated by just 1:38 at the line, claiming 2nd and 3rd in the age group.
• Justice Best ran the 3rd-fastest women's split on the Fire Station→HWY 49 segment — better than Berexa and Furuya on that stretch — but couldn't overcome the time gap, finishing 4th.
• The field spanned over 1:27 from first to last, with a notable 13:38 jump between 5th-place Jodie Robinson (1:57:57) and 6th-place Haley Flahavan (2:21:19).

Sara Hanneman made the F20-29 race look uncomplicated. The 29-year-old from Reno clocked 1:31:01 at a 9:06/mi clip and never relinquished her position — sitting 2nd among all women at every checkpoint recorded. She also posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the Fire Station→HWY 49 segment, meaning her strongest stretch came mid-race, not just in a fast opening mile. There was no late drama; Hanneman was simply in control.

Behind her, Berexa and Furuya ran a quiet two-woman battle for the podium. Roseville's Noelle Berexa (26) crossed in 1:38:24, with Modesto's Naomi Furuya (25) just 1:38 back at 1:40:02 — close enough that a stronger closing stretch from either could have reshuffled things. Furuya's 10:00/mi average was remarkably even, while Berexa's 4th-fastest women's split on Fire Station→HWY 49 showed she had pace to spare on that segment.

The most intriguing story belonged to Justice Best. The 28-year-old from Reno actually ran the 3rd-fastest women's split on Fire Station→HWY 49 — quicker through that stretch than both Berexa and Furuya — and gained a place between checkpoints (moving from 7th to 6th among women by the finish). But she arrived at that segment already carrying a deficit, and 4th in the age group at 1:44:19 was where it ended.

The back half of the field covered a wide range. Jodie Robinson completed the top five at 1:57:57, and then the times stretched considerably, with Carra Barbee rounding out all ten finishers at 2:58:38 — a 17:52/mi pace that still got her across the line on a warm March afternoon in Cool.