F20-24 at CIM 2021: Mary Kate Vaughn Runs 2:38 to Own the Age Group

• Vaughn wins in 2:38:03 (6:02/mi), more than seven minutes clear of runner-up Gracie Griffith (2:45:22).
• Griffith and Morgan close fastest: Griffith posted the 22nd-fastest women's split on the 40K-to-finish stretch; Morgan, 3rd in 2:48:26, matched that late charge with the 32nd-fastest women's split on the same segment.
• Tight battle for 10th–12th: Ally Baaske (3:08:52), Ariane Arndt (3:08:57), and Elise Chu (3:08:58) finished within six seconds of each other across three places — no ties, just a relentless sprint to the line.
• 89 finishers in the F20-24 age group made this one of the deeper young-women's fields on the course.

Mary Kate Vaughn, 23, from Oakwood, Ohio, was simply in a different race. Her 2:38:03 at 6:02 per mile was the dominant performance of the age group, and it came with some real tactical texture. Her gender standing fluctuated through the middle miles — dipping as far back as 16th among women at the 40K mark — but her 10th-fastest women's split on the 15K-to-half stretch showed she had genuine top-end pace. The seven-minute, nineteen-second cushion she built over Griffith by the finish line tells the rest of the story.

Behind her, the race had a compelling second act. Gracie Griffith (2:45:22) and Meghan Morgan (2:48:26) both ran their best miles late. Griffith climbed from 64th among women at the opening checkpoint all the way to 42nd by the finish — a sustained, disciplined move through the field. Morgan's trajectory was even more dramatic: she was as far back as 96th among women through the early going before reeling in dozens of competitors over the final miles to finish 65th among women and 3rd in the age group at 6:25 per mile.

The podium secured, places four and five went to Kathryn Gearhart (2:54:48) and Georgina Ortega (2:55:14), separated by just 26 seconds. Katherine Ho (2:59:09) and Sheridan McKinley (3:00:26) rounded out the sub-3:01 finishers, with Katherine Leggat-Barr (3:03:09) and Madeleine Nakada (3:03:12) separated by three seconds right behind them. The F20-24 age group at CIM 2021 delivered depth, drama, and a winner who made it look — almost — easy.