California International Marathon F45-49: Elizabeth Leopold Owns Every Mile

• Solo champion: Elizabeth Leopold, 45, crossed in 4:53:48 (11:12/mi avg) to claim the F45-49 title — the only finisher in her age group.
• Fastest women's split: Leopold posted the fastest split among all women on the 10K→15K segment — a standout stretch in a 26.2-mile morning.
• Wire-to-wire: She held 1st among women from the opening checkpoint through the finish line, never relinquishing that position across all six tracked splits.

Elizabeth Leopold of Folsom, CA — racing practically on home turf on the point-to-point course from Folsom to Sacramento — had the F45-49 field entirely to herself on a cool, overcast December morning. With temperatures at 46°F and a whisper of a breeze, conditions were about as cooperative as California winter gets for marathon running, and Leopold made the most of it.

What's worth noting isn't just the solo finish — it's how she ran it. Leopold didn't simply log miles; she raced them. Her 10K-to-15K split was the fastest among all women in the field that morning, a genuine surge through the middle stretch of the course that separated her from the broader women's field in that segment. She held the top women's position at every checkpoint tracked, from gun to tape.

Leopold crossed in 4:53:48 at an 11:12/mi average — a steady, committed effort across the full 26.2 miles. In a race with no one to chase in her age group, she gave the clock something to respect anyway.