W65-69: Susan Miller Owns the NYC Half

• Susan Miller, 65, wins in 1:49:17 (8:20/mi), more than four minutes clear of the field.
• Gordon Bakoulis surged from well back in the women's field to claim 2nd in 1:53:32, posting the 1,211th-fastest women's split on the final 20K-to-finish push.
• Candace Stanton rounded out the podium in 1:56:03 (8:51/mi), steadily climbing through the women's field across all five checkpoints.
• Tracy Dover (1:59:57) finished 6th in the W65-69 group despite being listed 6th — notable for slipping under the 2-hour mark in a field of 153.

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On a crisp 40°F morning from Prospect Park to Central Park, Susan Miller of Del Mar, CA made the W65-69 race look almost straightforward. Her 1:49:17 at 8:20/mi was the class of the field by a wide margin — more than four minutes ahead of the runner-up — and her moves through the women's standings told the story: she climbed from 1,384th among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 1,120th by the finish, including a 1,077th-fastest women's split on the second half of the course. That kind of sustained momentum doesn't happen by accident.

Gordon Bakoulis of New York, NY turned in the most dramatic climb of the top three. Starting deep in the women's field (2,378th at the first checkpoint), she steadily reeled in rivals all the way to 1,399th by the finish — a gain of nearly 1,000 places among women over the course of 13.1 miles. Her 1:53:32 (8:40/mi) secured a clear 2nd place. Candace Stanton of Kinnelon, NJ was similarly consistent in her ascent through the field, finishing 3rd in 1:56:03 (8:51/mi) with a strong second-half split that moved her up among the women.

The gap from the podium to 4th was significant: Reva Krieger crossed in 2:15:26 (10:20/mi), nearly 20 minutes behind Miller. Tracy Dover of Northwich broke the 2-hour barrier in 6th place at 1:59:57 (9:09/mi) — a notable benchmark in this age group. Marilyn Quinlan (5th, 2:33:14) faded noticeably over the final stretch, dropping from 2,133rd to 3,451st among women between 15K and 20K, suggesting a tough closing miles after a solid middle portion of the race.

With 153 finishers in the W65-69 group, this was a substantial and competitive field. The clear winner, a four-minute gap to 2nd, and a tight 1:49-to-1:56 podium window all point to a morning where the best were genuinely best — and the cold, calm conditions gave everyone a fair shot at it.