California International Marathon F65-69: Lamphere Leads Wire to Wire in Oakland

• Michelle Lamphere won the F65-69 age group in 3:45:36 (8:36/mi), finishing nearly two minutes clear of runner-up Sandy Linnemanstons.
• Sandy Linnemanstons (Mequon, WI) took 2nd in 3:47:19, with her strongest relative segment coming on the 35K→40K stretch.
• Argelia Angulo Villa (Ensenada, Baja California) claimed 3rd in 4:01:48 — the only international podium finisher — crossing more than 13 minutes behind Linnemanstons.
• A field of 29 women aged 65–69 finished on a cool, humid Sacramento morning, with times ranging from 3:45 to well past five hours.

Michelle Lamphere of Oakland ran a composed, measured race from start to finish. Her gender standing among all women tells the story of a steady climb through the second half: she moved from 1,536th among women at the 10K mark up to 1,231st by 40K, picking off runners as others faded in the late miles. That closing surge wasn't flawless — her 40K→Finish split ranked 1,014th among women — but it was more than enough to hold the age-group lead she'd built through the middle stages. At 8:36 per mile across 26.2 miles on a 46°F morning, it was a controlled, confident effort.

Sandy Linnemanstons of Mequon, Wisconsin made her most meaningful move between 35K and 40K, posting the 1,001st-fastest women's split on that segment and climbing from 1,402nd to 1,289th among women in the process. She finished 2nd in 3:47:19 — 1:43 behind Lamphere — a gap that reflects a genuine difference in pace (8:40/mi to Lamphere's 8:36/mi) sustained over the full distance. Argelia Angulo Villa rounded out the podium in 4:01:48, representing Ensenada, Baja California, and running a steady 9:13/mi that held her position through the back half of the race.

Behind the top three, Arden Gillberg (Coronado, CA) finished 4th in 4:11:19 and Elizabeth Stokes (Fitchburg, WI) took 5th in 4:16:34, with Cindy Egger (Galt, CA) close behind in 6th at 4:17:35 — just over a minute separating those two spots. The field spread wide from there, with Joanie Murakami (Sacramento, CA) in 11th at 4:43:53 and Carleen Cappelletti and Katarzyna Jonca finishing 18th and 19th within 39 seconds of each other at just past 5:09.