Broken Arrow 11K — F60-69: Scholl Sets the Pace at Palisades

• Stephenie Scholl, 63, wins in 1:25:12 — a 12:28/mi clip across a course climbing to 7,500 ft, finishing 29th among all women.
• 15-minute gap to 2nd: Lisa Peck crossed in 1:40:24, with Patti Foldager (68, Hope, AK) rounding out the podium in 1:45:32.
• Biggest mover: Naomi Morita started 206th among women and climbed to 153rd by the finish — the strongest upward surge in the F60-69 field.
• 18 finishers completed the race, with times spanning from 1:25:12 to 3:10:29 across a field that ranged from age 60 to 69.

Stephenie Scholl of Kremmling, Colorado — herself at altitude at home — put in a commanding performance on a course that doesn't forgive anyone. Her 12:28/mi average over high-elevation terrain, where the air thins to roughly 6,900 ft typical, was a full two minutes per mile faster than runner-up Lisa Peck's 14:41/mi. Scholl's strongest segment came on the Olympic Valley East→Snow King stretch, where she posted the 29th-fastest women's split in the field. She moved from 29th to 27th among women through mid-race before settling to 28th at the line — a model of controlled, high-altitude racing.

Lisa Peck, 60, of Santa Cruz made the podium in 1:40:24, though she faded slightly through the second half — her gender place slipped from 90th to 96th, and her Second Half split ranked 98th among women. Patti Foldager, 68, from Hope, Alaska, earned third in 1:45:32 and actually gained ground late: she moved from 127th among women at mid-race to 120th at the finish, posting the 102nd-fastest women's split on the Snow King→Finish segment — a strong close from the oldest podium finisher.

The race's most compelling subplot belonged to Naomi Morita of Honolulu. Starting deep in the women's field at 206th, she ran progressively faster relative to the field as the race wore on, climbing to 172nd and then 153rd — a gain of 53 places — and posted the 121st-fastest women's Snow King→Finish split. Laura Pratt, 64, of Placerville made a similar move, rising from 193rd to 174th. Meanwhile, Bih-Yun Chang (6th, 2:02:36), Charmian Lykins (7th, 2:09:31), and Karen Witt (8th, 2:18:42) held the middle of the field, while the final four finishers — Bridgette Grant, Monica Shaw, Kathy Degn, and Charlott Hartley — all came home between 3:06 and 3:10, separated by just four minutes across four athletes at the back of an 18-woman field.