Cleveland Marathon F55-59: Guappone Leads Wire to Wire in the Heat

• Natalie Guappone won the F55-59 age group in 3:50:26 (8:47/mi), the only finisher under 3:55 in a 23-woman field.
• Jennifer Boenning ran 8:57/mi to claim 2nd in 3:54:50 — just over four minutes back, but a clear gap ahead of 3rd.
• Tonya Dixon (4th, 4:26:20) was the strongest finisher in the back half, posting the 146th-fastest women's split on the 19.1M–22.5M segment as she climbed from deep in the women's field to 4th in the age group.
• Places 5 and 6 were separated by just 10 seconds — Linda Cunningham (5th, 4:33:00) and Jennifer Bruyere (6th, 4:33:10).

Natalie Guappone, 59, from Lisbon, OH, controlled the F55-59 race from the front. She entered the women's field around 90th place at the 5K mark and climbed steadily, reaching 71st among women by the halfway point — her strongest relative position of the day. The back half brought some drift, as 75°F heat and 68% humidity took their toll, and she settled to 77th among women at the finish. But her 8:47/mi average was never seriously threatened within the age group, and her 3:50:26 stood as a comfortable winning margin of more than four minutes over Jennifer Boenning.

Boenning, 56, from Wall Township, NJ, was solid and consistent. She posted the 83rd-fastest women's split on the 5K–10K segment and held her position in the women's field through the middle miles before finishing 2nd in 3:54:50 at 8:57/mi. Behind her, a sizeable gap opened before Jill Dematteis of Hudson, OH crossed in 3rd at 4:21:14 (9:58/mi). Dematteis had moved well through the middle of the race — climbing from 174th to 132nd among women by the halfway mark — but faded back to 197th among women by the finish.

The most eye-catching late-race performance belonged to Tonya Dixon (4th, 4:26:20). Starting cautiously — 358th among women at the 5K — she steadily worked her way through the field all day, and her 19.1M–22.5M segment was her sharpest, ranking 146th among all women on that stretch. She finished 4th in 10:09/mi, well clear of a closely packed battle for 5th. Linda Cunningham (5th, 4:33:00) and Jennifer Bruyere (6th, 4:33:10) were separated by just 10 seconds after 26.2 miles, with Jennifer Stevens rounding out the top seven in 4:35:49.