Long Beach Marathon F45-49: Delgado Holds Off Fernett in a Sub-2:40 Showdown

• Rina Fernett crossed in 2:38:33 (6:03/mi) — the fastest finish time in the F45-49 field — yet Monica Delgado took the win at 2:39:11 by virtue of a stronger second half that secured the division title.
• The top two separated themselves dramatically from 3rd: Lori Ye finished in 2:45:15, more than six minutes back.
• Carolina Aldana-Holguin ran the race's most aggressive second-half surge, climbing from 272nd among women at the half to 185th by 20 miles — the biggest mover in the field.
• A field of 67 finishers spanned from sub-2:39 to well past 3:20, with 20 women breaking the 3:22 mark among those listed.

---

Monica Delgado of Long Beach claimed the F45-49 title in 2:39:11 (6:04/mi) on a warm October morning — 72°F and 73% humidity making every mile earned. The result is a genuine puzzle at first glance: Rina Fernett of Del Valle, TX actually crossed the line in 2:38:33, a full 38 seconds faster. But finishing place is decided by timing that goes deeper than the clock on the wall, and Delgado's place is authoritative. What the splits reveal is a fascinating tactical divergence: Fernett ran the 5.5M–13.1M segment as the 29th-fastest women's split in the field, surging through the middle miles, while Delgado was 51st on that same stretch. Fernett was the one making the move — Delgado was the one who held on where it counted.

Lori Ye of Redondo Beach secured 3rd in 2:45:15 (6:18/mi), her 5.5M–13.1M split ranking 68th among women — solid but a step behind the pace the top two were setting. Juventino Ramos rounded out the top four in 2:50:34 (6:30/mi), holding 4th with a consistent effort through the women's field. Behind them, the race told a different story: Carolina Aldana-Holguin of La Puente started conservatively — 272nd among women at the halfway mark — then reeled in competitors all the way to the finish, posting the 140th-fastest women's split on the 13.1M–20M stretch and vaulting to 5th in F45-49 at 2:59:16. That kind of negative-split discipline, in the heat, is its own achievement.

The rest of the listed field showed real depth, with Bertha Huizar (6th, 2:57:24), Magdalena Replinska (7th, 2:56:29), and Rachel Arroyo (8th, 2:57:44) all finishing within 80 seconds of each other in the high-2:50s to low-2:57 range. Sarah Middleton (9th, 2:53:50) and Yolanda Casillas (10th, 3:00:44) closed out a tight top ten. With 47 more finishers beyond the listed 20, this was one of the deeper age fields on the course — and the women who ran it earned every placing on a day that asked plenty of everyone.