W75-79: Jeannie Rice dominates as the field battles through the back half

• Jeannie Rice, 77, wins in 1:53:19 — an 8:39/mi average that lapped the field by more than 90 minutes over runner-up Sue Landa (3:27:12).
• Mary Newell's closing kick: Newell entered the 20K checkpoint well behind Landa but posted the 6,222nd-fastest women's split on that final stretch to finish 4th in 3:27:02 — 10 seconds ahead of Landa despite trailing her for most of the race.
• Tightest battle at the back: 9th-place Sonia Yevich (4:34:35) and 10th-place Inga-Lill Strand (4:28:14) were separated by just over six minutes, with Strand finishing ahead despite Yevich's bib position — a quiet reversal in the closing miles.
• 14 women ages 75–79 finished a half marathon through Prospect Park and into Central Park on a brisk 40°F March morning.

Jeannie Rice, 77, from Concord Township, Ohio, turned this into a one-woman show. Her 1:53:19 wasn't just a win — it was a performance in a completely different universe from the rest of the W75-79 field. Running 8:39 per mile, she crossed the line 94 minutes ahead of the next finisher. Her gender place shifted around through the race — dipping as low as 1,384th among women near the finish — but her 1,271st-fastest women's split on the 20K-to-finish segment showed she still had real pace in her legs when it mattered.

Behind Rice, the real drama unfolded between Sue Landa (3:27:12) and Mary Newell (3:27:02). Landa, 76, from LaGrange, Georgia, held a solid position through the 20K mark, but Newell — who had been running in the 11,000s among women for most of the race — uncorked a closing segment ranked 6,222nd among women on that final stretch. That surge erased Landa's lead and delivered Newell 4th place by 10 seconds. Landa and Newell both averaged 15:48 per mile for the race, making the finish time nearly identical — but the paths there were completely different.

Christine Everett, 75, from Missoula, Montana, was another strong mover in the second half, steadily climbing through the women's field from 11,504th at the start to 10,214th by 20K, before settling 3rd in the age group at 3:48:12. Bokyoung Kwon (4:00:31) and Irene Hale (4:05:44) rounded out the top six, with Hale, representing Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, adding some international flavor to a field that also included Inga-Lill Strand traveling from Fagersta, Sweden. All 14 finishers completed 13.1 miles through New York City — no small thing at 75 to 77 years old.