Cleveland Marathon 5K — F25-29: Zelinsky dominates a deep field

• Hailey Zelinsky wins the F25-29 age group in 22:18 (7:11/mi), finishing 35 seconds clear of runner-up Aimee Kearns.
• Aimee Kearns (Struthers, OH) claims 2nd in 22:53 (7:22/mi), the only other finisher under 25 minutes alongside 3rd-place Heather Mcardle's 24:46.
• Spots 5 and 6 were a genuine sprint: Shyenne Ledford (5th, 25:24) and Frances Bull (6th, 25:25) — separated by a single second at 8:11/mi apiece.
• 103 women finished in the F25-29 age group, with the top 20 ranging from 22:18 to 29:50 — a spread of more than seven and a half minutes across a competitive Northeast Ohio field.

Hailey Zelinsky, 25, from Cleveland itself, was the class of the F25-29 field on a humid, breezy Saturday morning — 67°F with 83% humidity and a 15 mph wind made for honest conditions, and her 7:11/mi average was a convincing answer to all of it. Her 35-second margin over Kearns wasn't a photo finish; it was a controlled, confident performance from wire to wire.

Aimee Kearns (22:53, 7:22/mi) was a clear and comfortable runner-up, putting nearly two full minutes between herself and 3rd-place Heather Mcardle of Berea, who crossed in 24:46 at 7:58/mi. Harpreet Kaur (4th, 25:00, 8:03/mi) rounded out a podium-adjacent finish, just 14 seconds back of Mcardle and the last runner to break 25 minutes.

The race's most entertaining battle played out just behind her. Shyenne Ledford (Strongsville) and Frances Bull (Mentor) ran each other to a near-standstill — 5th in 25:24 and 6th in 25:25, both clocking 8:11/mi — with just one second separating them at the line. Further back, Jenna Lang (12th, 27:44) and Megan Misencik (11th, 27:43) were similarly inseparable, one second apart at 8:55 and 8:56/mi respectively.