F35-39: Jessica Smith Runs Down the Women's Field for a 2:46 Victory

• Jessica Smith wins in 2:46:04 (6:20/mi), posting the 2nd-fastest women's split on the second half to surge from 7th to 1st among women en route to the F35-39 title.
• Bonnie Keating, the 2023 women's overall champion (2:50:49), finishes 4th in F35-39 at 2:53:57 — still a force, with the 9th-fastest women's split on the 30K–35K stretch.
• Tight podium battle: just 3:15 separates Smith (2:46:04), Laurel Le Moigne (2:49:28), and Stephanie Cichosz (2:51:19) across the top three.
• Katie Efird, Kalle Deyette, and Elizabeth DeBole finish 14th, 15th, and 16th in 3:14:21, 3:14:30, and 3:14:32 — nine seconds covering three runners across three spots.

On a crisp 43°F morning past Washington's monuments, the F35-39 race was a story of patience rewarded late. Jessica Smith of Philadelphia ran a measured first half — sitting 7th among women through the early miles — then unleashed one of the day's most decisive second-half surges. Her second-half split ranked 2nd among all women, and she climbed steadily: 5th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and finally into the women's lead by the finish. Her 6:20/mi average tells the story of a runner who had more left when others faded.

Laurel Le Moigne of Springfield, VA made her own move in the middle of the race, clocking the 4th-fastest women's split on the 21K–25K stretch to climb from 11th among women at the 10K mark all the way to 3rd by halfway. She held that position to the line, finishing in 2:49:28. Kirkland's Stephanie Cichosz matched her timing on that same stretch — the 6th-fastest women's split on 21K–25K — but couldn't quite bridge the gap, finishing 3rd in 2:51:19.

The most compelling comeback in the F35-39 field belonged to Bonnie Keating, who crossed here in 2023 as the overall women's champion. This time, she started cautiously — 10th among women through the 10K and sliding as far back as 14th by the 25K — before a strong 30K–35K surge (9th-fastest women's split on that stretch) pulled her back to 7th among women and 4th in F35-39 at 2:53:57. Jonel Rodina of Virginia Beach rounded out the top five in 2:54:23, having posted the 6th-fastest women's split on the 10K–15K segment in an aggressive early push.