F25-29: Meseret Belete Tola Dominates Chicago 13.1 from Wire to Wire

• Meseret Belete Tola won the F25-29 age group in 1:09:35 (5:18/mi), holding 1st among women from the opening checkpoint through the finish line.
• Lindsey Bradley took 2nd in 1:12:37, posting the 5th-fastest women's closing split (15K to finish) to seal her runner-up spot.
• Bontu Rebitu rounded out the podium in 1:14:04, trading places with Bradley through the early miles before settling into 3rd.
• A tight cluster of Chicago locals battled for spots 6 through 12, with just 3:32 separating Rita Maurais (6th, 1:26:17) from Stephanie Kies (12th, 1:29:49).

Meseret Belete Tola, 25, from West Chester, OH, never let anyone wonder who was in charge. She sat at the top of the women's field from the first checkpoint and never relinquished it, ticking off miles at 5:18/mi on a clear, breezy Chicago morning. Her most decisive stretch came between 5K and 8K, where she posted the fastest women's split of any runner in the field — the move that turned a lead into a statement.

Behind her, the race for 2nd and 3rd had a bit more drama. Bontu Rebitu (Chapel Hill, NC) and Lindsey Bradley (Forney, TX) were locked together through the early miles — Rebitu sitting 7th among women at 5K, Bradley one spot back in 8th. Rebitu also flashed genuine early speed, recording the 8th-fastest women's split from 5K to 8K. But Bradley had more in reserve for the back half, clocking the 5th-fastest women's closing split to overtake Rebitu and finish 3 minutes ahead of her. The final gap — 1:27 between 2nd and 3rd — tells the story of a late surge that mattered.

Rita Moore (Wichita, KS) was the last finisher under 1:20, crossing in 1:18:16 at 5:58/mi for 4th. The jump from Moore to Paola Ramos in 5th (1:25:46) is the race's sharpest gap — nearly eight minutes — marking the clear break between the front pack and the rest of the 1,166-finisher F25-29 field. From 5th place onward, the racing was close and competitive, with seven runners filing in between 1:25:46 and 1:28:31.