F20-29: Elissa Brown Owns the Age Group from Start to Finish

• Elissa Brown won the F20-29 age group in 10:32:27 (12:39/mi), finishing 8th among all women.
• Ayla Lehner completed the 50 miles in 13:12:48 (15:51/mi), claiming 2nd in the age group.
• Brown posted the 6th-fastest women's split on the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar segment, a standout stretch in a deep women's field.
• The gap between the two finishers was 2:40:21 — a wide margin across 50 miles of California trail on a warm, clear 73°F day.

In a two-woman F20-29 showdown, Elissa Brown left no doubt. The 29-year-old from Philadelphia ran a composed, relentless 50 miles, finishing in 10:32:27 and climbing as high as 8th among all women by the final stretch. That placing didn't come easy — her gender rank fluctuated throughout, dipping to 10th at points before she surged back to 8th at the finish, a sign of real competitive pressure from the broader women's field even as she controlled her age group entirely.

Brown's sharpest moment came on the Granite Bay→Rattlesnake Bar segment, where she put up the 6th-fastest women's split in the field. On a day pushing 73°F with clear skies, holding that kind of pace on a demanding mid-race stretch speaks to well-managed effort across a long day out.

Ayla Lehner, the 22-year-old from Colorado Springs, brought a different story — steady perseverance across 50 miles, finishing in 13:12:48 at a 15:51/mi average. Her gender ranking drifted back through the race, settling at 31st among women by the finish, but she closed the book on all 50 miles and claimed 2nd in the age group. Her strongest relative moment came on the Willow Creek→Beals Point segment, where she posted the 26th-fastest women's split in the field.

Two finishers, two very different races — but both got to the line on a tough day in Auburn.