Kaua'i Marathon F45-49: Cicio Edges Out a Thriller at the Top

• Maria Cicio wins in 3:36:35 (8:16/mi), holding off Rachael Smith by just 1:10 — the closest margin on the F45-49 podium.
• Cicio and Smith both flew through the middle stretch, posting the 4th- and 3rd-fastest women's splits respectively on the 6.55 Miles→Half segment — Smith actually had the edge there, making the final gap all the more hard-won.
• Becca Tudor owned the closing miles, recording the 3rd-fastest women's split from 24.15 Miles to the finish to lock up 3rd place in the age group.
• Kari Ingalls was the field's biggest mover, climbing from 30th among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 21st by the finish.

The F45-49 race at the Kaua'i Marathon — run under 77°F humidity-laden skies in Poipu — was decided by less than 75 seconds at the top, and the gap between 1st and 2nd was earned through a sustained mid-race duel. Rachael Smith (Rolesville, NC) was actually the faster woman through the 6.55-to-Half segment, posting the 3rd-fastest women's split on that stretch while Cicio sat 4th. But Maria Cicio (Kailua Kona, HI) had been steadily climbing the women's field — moving from 7th among women early to 4th by the halfway mark — and she never relinquished that ground, crossing in 3:36:35 to Smith's 3:37:45.

Becca Tudor (Telluride, CO) finished a distant but decisive 3rd in 4:17:34, her race defined by a strong closing leg — the 3rd-fastest women's split from mile 24.15 to the finish. That late surge helped her claw back two spots among women after sliding back through the middle of the race. Bethanne Kapansky Wright, racing on home turf in Kilauea, HI, rounded out 4th in 4:21:29.

Further back, Kari Ingalls (Blaine, WA) told a story of patience and persistence, sitting 30th among women through the early miles before grinding her way up to 21st by the tape — a net gain of nine women's places. At the other end of the leaderboard, 13 women finished across a wide range of conditions and paces, with Bernadette Juarez closing out the age group in 5:42:00 at 13:03/mi — a genuine accomplishment on a warm, humid Kaua'i morning.