Chicago 13.1 F65-69: Skisak edges Kerr in a 18-second thriller at the front

• Eileen Skisak won the F65-69 group in 2:09:28 (9:53/mi), holding off Cheryl Kerr by just 18 seconds.
• Cheryl Kerr made the most dramatic move of the race, surging from outside the top 2,000 among women at 5K all the way to 1,594th by the finish — the sharpest climb in the group.
• Karen Wood rounded out the podium in 2:12:42, a comfortable 2:56 back of Kerr but well clear of the rest.
• A 10-minute gap separated the podium trio from 4th-place Dorie Lidd (2:29:06), marking a sharp split in the field.

Thirty women finished the F65-69 group on a cooperative June morning in Chicago — 60°F, clear skies, and a light 10 mph breeze. At the front, the race came down to a duel between two 65-year-olds running nearly identical paces: Eileen Skisak of La Grange Park at 9:53/mi and Cheryl Kerr of Calgary at 9:54/mi. Eighteen seconds separated them at the line, a margin that felt even slimmer given how long they must have run in lockstep.

What makes Kerr's run especially striking is where she spent the early miles. At the 5K mark she sat outside the top 2,000 among women — 2,083rd — before reeling off progressively stronger splits to finish 1,594th among women. That's a climb of nearly 500 places in the women's field over the back half of the race. Skisak, by contrast, ran a steadier race, hovering around 1,600th–1,700th among women for most of the route before a strong 15K-to-finish segment — the 1,478th-fastest women's split on that closing stretch — sealed the win.

Karen Wood (2:12:42, 10:07/mi) held 3rd throughout, improving her position among women from 2,363rd at 5K to 1,801st at the finish — a quiet, consistent grind that earned the final podium spot. Behind her, Dorie Lidd and Sara Lara were locked in their own battle, finishing 4th and 5th in 2:29:06 and 2:29:22 respectively — a gap of just 16 seconds after 13.1 miles. From 6th onward, the field spread across a range of 12:07 to 13:01/mi and beyond, with 10 additional finishers rounding out a strong 30-woman group.