Chicago Marathon 2018: Olivia Denkinger Wins the F1-19 Age Group

• Olivia Denkinger (Windsor Hts) took the F1-19 title, surging from 8,032nd among women at 30K to finish 206th among women by the line.
• Alia Abiad (Western Sprgs) ran a controlled, steadily climbing race to claim 2nd, moving from 1,676th among women at the opening checkpoint all the way to 572nd — and her 35K→40K split ranked 217th-fastest among all women in the field.
• Madison Gwozdz (Mokena) rounded out the podium in 3rd, while Maria Burgess (Notre Dame) finished 4th after spending much of the race fading from a bold early position.
• Melisa Flores (Glendale Hts) delivered one of the age group's most dramatic closing kicks, rising from deep in the women's field to finish 5th.

Across a cool, damp Chicago morning — 58°F, light rain, and a steady 12 mph wind — 116 young women aged 19 and under took on 26.2 miles. The headline story belonged to Olivia Denkinger, whose race unfolded in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. She was sitting 8,032nd among women at 30K, deep in the pack by any measure, but something ignited over those final miles. By the finish she had climbed all the way to 206th among women — a stunning late charge that swept her past virtually the entire F1-19 field to claim the age group title.

Alia Abiad ran a very different kind of race: methodical, patient, and relentlessly progressive. She entered the women's field at 1,676th at 5K and chipped away at that position at every single checkpoint, never losing ground, ultimately finishing 572nd among women and 2nd in the age group. Her 35K–40K split — 217th-fastest among all women — confirmed she was still accelerating when many others were hanging on.

Madison Gwozdz held on for 3rd despite a wobble through the 10K–15K stretch, while Maria Burgess faded from a promising early position to settle for 4th. Melisa Flores, meanwhile, started 11,086th among women and clawed her way to 2,533rd by the finish, good enough for 5th in the age group — proof that on this particular October morning in Chicago, patience and a strong second half were richly rewarded.