Barks & Brews 5K: Barbara Rinker Owns the F75-79 Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Barbara Rinker, 79, crossed in 33:22 at a 10:44/mi pace.
• Strong finish: Rinker posted the 125th-fastest women's split on the 1M-to-finish stretch — a competitive mark across the women's field.
• Moving up: She climbed from 146th to 130th among women over the final mile, passing 16 competitors in the closing stretch.

Barbara Rinker showed up, laced up, and got it done. The 79-year-old Sacramento native was the only finisher in the F75-79 age group at the 2025 Barks & Brews 5K, making her both the winner and the standard-setter for her peers on a warm Memorial Day morning — 73°F with clear skies and a light 7 mph breeze.

Her 33:22 finish, run at a steady 10:44 per mile, tells a story of consistent effort. But the final mile is where Rinker truly distinguished herself: her 1M-to-finish split ranked 125th among all women in the race, and she used it to reel in 16 competitors, moving from 146th to 130th in the women's field. That's not coasting to the line — that's racing.

There's no one to compare her to in the F75-79 group, but Rinker didn't need company to make the result meaningful. She set the bar for her age group at this event, and she set it with a finishing kick.