California International Marathon 2019 — F70-74: Friedman dominates with a 43-minute gap

• Liz Friedman, 71, wins the F70-74 group in 4:03:51 (9:18/mi), finishing more than 42 minutes ahead of runner-up Brenda Lewis.
• Brenda Lewis, 71, claimed second in 4:46:20 (10:55/mi), with Jan Daker, 72, taking third in 5:09:35 (11:48/mi).
• Closest battle of the day: Dilyn Radakovitz (4th, 5:25:45) and Velva Hakim (5th, 5:26:00) were separated by just 15 seconds across 26.2 miles.
• Eight women, ages 70–74, finished a full marathon in Sacramento's cool, wet December conditions — 56°F, light rain, and 90% humidity.

Liz Friedman of Redding ran away with the F70-74 title from the moment the gun went off. Tracking her gender place through the checkpoints tells the story clearly: she moved steadily forward through the women's field from the 25K mark onward, climbing from roughly 1,588th among women at the start to as high as 1,434th by the 35K mark before settling to 1,497th at the finish. That consistent forward momentum in a large women's field underscores just how controlled and strong her 9:18-per-mile effort was on a damp, blustery Sacramento morning.

Brenda Lewis, also 71 and racing practically in her own backyard from Rancho Cordova, ran an equally disciplined race for second place. She, too, advanced through the women's field across nearly every checkpoint, finishing in 4:46:20 — a solid 10:55-per-mile effort. Jan Daker made the trip from Apple Valley, Minnesota worthwhile, crossing third in 5:09:35. Daker's strongest relative segment came in the Half-to-25K stretch, where she posted the 2,258th-fastest women's split on that leg.

The race's most compelling subplot played out near the back of the F70-74 field. Dilyn Radakovitz of Loomis, 73, and Velva Hakim of Atascadero, 71, ran shoulder-to-shoulder for the better part of the race and finished just 15 seconds apart — Radakovitz in 5:25:45 and Hakim in 5:26:00. Hakim actually posted a stronger close, recording the 2,456th-fastest women's split from 40K to the finish, while Radakovitz's best relative segment came from 35K to 40K. Sue Hatton, 74, of Sacramento finished sixth in 5:53:19, Ann Broadwell, 72, of Burlingame was seventh in 5:57:47, and Jennie Fong, 70, of Sacramento rounded out the eight-woman group in 6:31:16.