Cleveland Marathon 5K Women: Wingler edges a 13-year-old in a 3-second thriller

• Sydney Wingler, 22, wins in 19:04 (6:08/mi) — the fastest woman in a field of 811.
• Bryn Westerman, 13, finishes 2nd in 19:07 — three seconds back, an extraordinary result for a middle schooler from Murrysville, PA.
• Jennifer Colvin (3rd, 20:34) and Kathryn Matson (4th, 20:56) ran a strong sub-21-minute chase pack, with Colvin's 6:37/mi pace edging Matson's 6:44/mi over the closing stretch.
• Belle Carlson and Eleanor Dawson, both age 10, finished 11th (24:31) and 12th (24:42) respectively — a remarkable showing from the youngest competitors in the top 20.

Sydney Wingler crossed the line in 19:04 at 6:08/mi to claim the women's title on a humid, breezy Cleveland morning — 67°F with 83% humidity and a 15 mph wind that made every second count. Bryn Westerman, just 13 years old, pushed her the entire way, finishing in 19:07 to take 2nd. Three seconds is nothing in a 5K, and the fact that a teenager from Murrysville nearly ran down the winner is the headline within the headline.

The gap to 3rd was where the real separation came. Jennifer Colvin, 37, ran a composed 20:34 at 6:37/mi to claim the final podium spot, while Kathryn Matson, 40, was right behind at 20:56 (6:44/mi). Those are two different paces — Colvin's was clearly faster — and she held the advantage to the finish. Hannah Gendelman (5th, 21:32) rounded out a tight top five before a slight gap opened to Jillian Reyna (6th, 22:15) and Hailey Zelinsky (7th, 22:18).

The back end of the top 20 had its own story. Amy Washington (9th, 23:58) and Kristina Murphy (10th, 23:59) finished just one second apart — with Washington holding the edge. And then came the two 10-year-olds: Belle Carlson (11th, 24:31) and Eleanor Dawson (12th, 24:42), both from the Cleveland area, running sub-8-minute miles and outpacing hundreds of adults in an 811-woman field. Heather Westerman, 53 — sharing a last name with 2nd-place Bryn — finished 16th in 25:06, a tidy family subplot to a race full of them.