Masters Women at CIM 2025: Sara Hall Runs Away With It

• Sara Hall wins in 2:24:35 (5:31/mi) — more than 11 minutes clear of 2nd place, the dominant performance of the Masters Women's field.
• Caitlin Phillips surges late, posting the 20th-fastest women's split on the 35K–40K stretch to secure 2nd in 2:36:06 (5:57/mi).
• Courtney Dauwalter, the celebrated ultrarunner, finishes 4th in 2:38:53 (6:04/mi) — a formidable road marathon showing in a 1,166-woman field.
• Seven seconds separate 7th and 8th: Emily Setlack (2:46:11) edges Teal Burrell (2:46:16) in the race's tightest battle outside the top two.

Sara Hall didn't just win the Masters Women's race at the 2025 California International Marathon — she lapped the field in spirit. Running 5:31 per mile through cool, overcast Sacramento conditions, the 42-year-old from Flagstaff crossed in 2:24:35 and spent much of the race trading positions in the overall women's standings, moving between 2nd and 3rd overall among women before settling into 2nd by the finish. Her 2nd-fastest women's split on the 20K-to-half segment underscores how controlled and relentless her effort was. The gap to Caitlin Phillips in 2nd? Eleven minutes and 31 seconds.

Phillips, 43, from East Jewett, NY, ran a patient and well-constructed race. She was as far back as 61st among women at the 10K mark before steadily working her way forward, and her 20th-fastest women's split on the 35K–40K stretch was where she made her real move — locking down 2nd place in Masters with a 5:57/mi average and a final time of 2:36:06. Andrea Pomaranski of Wolverine Lake, MI, rounded out the podium in 2:37:44 (6:01/mi), having been as high as 31st among women through the early going before fading slightly in the back half.

The fourth spot belongs to a name road-racing fans might not expect: Courtney Dauwalter, the 40-year-old from Leadville, CO, best known for her dominance in ultramarathons, finished in 2:38:53 — a 6:04/mi clip that held remarkably steady throughout. Karen Bertasso (2:41:14, 6:09/mi) and Meriah Earle (2:42:30, 6:12/mi) completed a top six that spanned just under 18 minutes from 1st to 6th. Further back, the battle for 7th and 8th came down to five seconds — Emily Setlack (2:46:11) just ahead of Teal Burrell (2:46:16) — before the field spread out through a deep Masters Women's result that stretched across 1,166 finishers.