F50-54 at California International Marathon: Nakamoto Claims the Age Group in Sacramento

• Mai Nakamoto won the F50-54 age group in 5:00:56 (11:29/mi), holding 2nd among women for a stretch of the race.
• Kieu Chu finished 2nd in the age group in 5:29:36 (12:34/mi), a gap of 28:40 back.
• Nakamoto posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 5K→10K segment; Chu answered with the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 25K→30K segment — each had a moment to shine on the course.

The F50-54 age group at the 2025 California International Marathon came down to two women from the Sacramento area trading punches at different points of the race. Mai Nakamoto, 50, from Elk Grove set the tone early, clocking the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 5K–10K stretch and establishing herself as the clear class of the age group through those opening miles. She ran a composed 11:29/mi through the rolling Folsom-to-Sacramento course to cross in 5:00:56 — a 28:40 margin that tells the story of a controlled, confident effort.

Nakamoto's gender standing among all women tells its own subplot. She sat 3rd among women through most of the race, briefly climbed to 2nd around the midpoint, then settled back to 3rd by the finish — a reminder that she was mixing it up well beyond just her age group peers, competing among the broader women's field throughout.

Kieu Chu, 54, from nearby Galt, had her own highlight to claim. She produced the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 25K–30K segment — a stretch deep into the race where many runners are simply trying to hold on — running at 12:34/mi to finish in 5:29:36. Chu held a steady 4th place among women from start to finish, never wavering from that position across every checkpoint. Consistency defined her day, even if Nakamoto was simply a level above in this age group matchup.