F35-39: Annie Monjar Wins a Hot One in Chicago

• Monjar takes the top spot in the F35-39 age group with a 1:26:28 — a 6:36/mi clip on a 79°F, 20 mph wind day across a 557-woman field.
• Laureano and Juarez separated by just seven seconds (1:27:07 vs. 1:27:14) for 2nd and 3rd, both averaging 6:39/mi.
• Jenna Fatica was the biggest mover in the top ten, climbing from 72nd among women at the 5K to 46th by the finish — and her 36th-fastest women's split from 15K to the line was the strongest closing kick in the top five.
• Corrie Kenney faded late, sitting 23rd among women through the 5K–8K stretch before slipping to 35th by the finish, ultimately landing 4th in the age group at 1:28:46.

Annie Monjar ran a controlled, confident race through the Chicago heat. Holding steady around 24th among women for most of the morning, she made a brief move to 23rd between 8K and 10K — where she also posted the 23rd-fastest women's split on that segment — before settling into the finish at 6:36/mi. On a day when 79°F and 20 mph winds were working against everyone, that kind of composure was worth something.

Behind her, the battle for 2nd and 3rd was tight all morning. Veronica Laureano and Janessa Juarez tracked each other closely through the middle miles, both hovering around 33rd–34th among women. Laureano made her move in the final stretch, posting the 26th-fastest women's split from 15K to the finish to pull clear and claim 2nd by seven seconds. Juarez, who had briefly moved as high as 30th among women at 15K, was edged back to 3rd at the line.

The most compelling story outside the podium belonged to Jenna Fatica. Starting well back — 72nd among women at the first checkpoint — she ran a patient, progressive race, reeling in runners one by one all the way to the finish. Her 36th-fastest women's split over the final 15K-to-finish segment was the best closing effort of any top-five finisher in the age group, and it earned her 5th place at 1:30:55. In conditions like these, running your best miles last is no small thing.