Barks & Brews 5K: Robin Diamond Wins the F65-69 Race Going Away

• Robin Diamond, 68, won the F65-69 group in 29:44 (9:35/mi), finishing 78th among all women — and her 1M→Finish split ranked 78th-fastest in the women's field.
• The winning margin was massive: Diamond crossed the line nearly 5 minutes, 39 seconds ahead of runner-up Carolyn Meredith Simpson (35:23).
• Debby Nimrick and Karen Taylor staged the tightest battle of the day: both clocked 59:51 and 59:52 — a single second separating 14th from 15th.
• 18 women competed in the F65-69 group, with finish times spanning from 29:44 to 1:07:13.

Robin Diamond made the F65-69 race her own from the start. Running at 9:35 per mile on a warm Sacramento morning — 73°F with a light breeze — she held 78th place among all women from the 1-mile mark straight through the finish, never wavering. Her closing split from 1M to the finish was the 78th-fastest in the entire women's field, a performance that left no doubt about who owned this age group today.

Behind Diamond, Carolyn Meredith Simpson of Orangevale ran a steady 11:23/mi to claim 2nd in 35:23, though she slipped from 145th to 162nd among women over the final stretch, suggesting the closing miles took a toll. Karen Barsch rounded out the podium in 40:01, holding her position among the women's field through the finish. Michelle Plato was close behind in 4th at 41:49, actually gaining one spot among the women on the back half — a small but notable push.

The real drama came at the back of the field, where Debby Nimrick and Karen Taylor ran shoulder-to-shoulder all the way to the line. Nimrick finished 14th in the group at 59:51 to Taylor's 59:52 — one second after more than 59 minutes of racing. Just ahead of them, Sandra Bishop clocked 59:14 for 13th, meaning three women finished within 38 seconds of each other. Beverly Shimizu (5th, 47:38) and Louise Echols (6th, 48:16) had their own close contest, separated by 38 seconds after nearly 48 minutes on the course.