Barks & Brews 5K: Barbara Rinker Leads the F80+ Field from Start to Finish

• Barbara Rinker, 80, wins the F80+ group in 32:21 (10:25/mi) — a commanding 10-minute margin over the field.
• Charlyn Frazier, 81, takes 2nd in 42:21 (13:38/mi), steadily climbing from 350th to 344th among women across the final two miles.
• Karen Crick and Linda Hall battle through the middle miles, finishing 3rd (48:56) and 4th (51:30) respectively — separated by 2:34 at the line.
• Irene Kessler, 82, rounds out the five in 55:48 (17:58/mi), holding her position in the women's field through a consistent final stretch.

Five women aged 80 and older toed the line at the Barks & Brews 5K in Sacramento on a pleasant Memorial Day weekend morning — 68°F, clear skies, and a 14 mph breeze — and every one of them finished. That alone is worth noting.

Barbara Rinker, at 80 the youngest of the group, set the pace nobody could match. Running 10:25 per mile, she moved from 206th to 188th among women across the course, posting the 174th-fastest women's split on the 1M–2M segment — a genuine mid-race surge that helped her pull clear. Her winning time of 32:21 stood 10 minutes ahead of 2nd place, a gap that tells the story of a dominant effort.

Charlyn Frazier, 81, claimed 2nd in 42:21, finishing with purpose — her 3M-to-finish split was the 333rd-fastest among women, and she moved up three places in the women's field over the final mile to cross in 13:38/mi pace. Behind her, Karen Crick (3rd, 48:56, 15:45/mi) and Linda Hall (4th, 51:30, 16:35/mi) ran a quiet battle through the middle miles, each posting their best relative split on the 2M–3M segment before finishing 2:34 apart.

Irene Kessler, 82, closed out the F80+ group in 55:48, running 17:58/mi and holding her position in the women's field through the finish. Five starters, five finishers — all of them over 80.