W80-89 Half Marathon: Lomo Portela Leads the Oldest Women's Group Home

• Ana Maria Lomo Portela, 81, won the W80-89 group in 2:34:33 (11:47/mi), finishing 1st of 2.
• Yue Qin Fu, 85, completed the 13.1 miles in 3:56:56 (18:04/mi) — a full 1:22:23 back but across the line nonetheless.
• Lomo Portela's women's field position improved from roughly 13,324th at the start to 11,728th by 20K, steadily climbing through the pack in the race's second half.
• Fu, running at 85 years old, held a remarkably consistent position throughout — barely a ripple in her women's field standing from the 5K mark onward.

Two women in their eighties toed the line at the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half, and both of them finished it. That alone is the headline.

Ana Maria Lomo Portela, 81, made the trip from La Laguna in the Canary Islands and made it count. She ran a steady 11:47/mi to clock 2:34:33, and her race told a clear story of controlled forward momentum — her position among the women's field improved by more than 1,500 places between the gun and the 20K mark, a sign she was running her own race while others around her faded on the cool but honest 40°F morning. She posted the 10,790th-fastest women's split on the 15K-to-20K segment, a stretch where she clearly found her rhythm.

Yue Qin Fu, 85 years old and racing out of New York, ran a different kind of race — not a chase, but a commitment. Her 18:04/mi pace produced a 3:56:56 finish, and her position in the women's field barely moved after the opening kilometers, hovering right around 15,200 from the 5K mark to the finish line. That consistency, at 85, over 13.1 miles, speaks for itself.

Two finishers. Two ages that most runners will never race at. Both crossed the line in Central Park.