F60-69 at American River 50 25-Miler: Kortz Claims the Crown

• Kim Kortz wins in 5:22:42 (12:55/mi), more than 27 minutes clear of 2nd place — the dominant performance in the F60-69 field.
• Nancy Ishizawa finishes 2nd in 5:50:30, powered by the 2nd-fastest women's split on the Last Gasp→Finish stretch — a strong close to reel in time at the end.
• Kathy Finney edges into 3rd in 5:56:25, just under six minutes behind Ishizawa, with the 9th-fastest women's split on the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar segment.
• Kortz ran 22 minutes slower than her own 2025 finish (5:00:16, 7th among women that year) — a reminder that 73°F and clear skies on race day made this a tougher afternoon than the calendar alone suggests.

Kim Kortz came in as the field's most experienced presence in this race, having crossed this same finish line in 5:00:16 a year ago. Saturday's warm conditions — 73°F under a clear sky — made a repeat of that time a tall order, and her 5:22:42 reflects the day's demands. Still, she was never seriously threatened, posting the 5th-fastest women's split on the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar segment and climbing from 6th to 4th among women through the mid-race before settling into 5th among women at the line. The gap to 2nd place tells the real story: 27 minutes and 48 seconds of clear daylight.

Nancy Ishizawa and Kathy Finney waged the race's most compelling internal battle. Ishizawa ran the earlier miles more conservatively — sitting 11th among women through the middle stretch — before uncorking the 2nd-fastest women's split on the Last Gasp→Finish segment to secure 2nd in 5:50:30. Finney, meanwhile, had been the more aggressive mover, climbing from 13th among women to 9th on the strength of the 9th-fastest women's split on Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar, and held on for 3rd in 5:56:25. Ishizawa's finishing kick was the difference between them — nearly six minutes' worth.

Stephanie Haugen rounded out the podium hunt with a 4th-place finish in 6:42:27 (16:06/mi), posting the 17th-fastest women's split on Rattlesnake Bar→Last Gasp along the way. Susan Moser, the lone Auburn local in the group, finished 5th in 6:58:58 — under seven hours on a warm day. All five women in the F60-69 field crossed the line, making it a complete card on a demanding afternoon.