Handcycle Women at Marine Corps Marathon: Outten Kenton Dominates the D.C. Loop

• Jo Ann Outten Kenton won the Handcycle women's race in 1:46:35 (4:04/mi), finishing 37 minutes and 27 seconds ahead of 2nd place — a commanding margin across 26.2 miles.
• Holly Koester held 2nd from wire to wire, crossing in 2:24:02 (5:30/mi), with Amanda Seward locking up 3rd in 2:46:29 (6:21/mi) — the top three positions never changed hands all race.
• The most active mover: Katherine Valdez (5th, 3:09:35) bounced between 4th and 8th at various checkpoints before settling 5th, posting the 3rd-fastest women's split on the 21K–25K segment.
• Francisca Martínez-Ríos (4th, 3:07:13) climbed steadily from 6th to 4th, finishing just 2:22 ahead of Valdez — the tightest gap on the entire results sheet.

In a cold, damp Arlington morning — 43°F with 89% humidity as the handcycle field rolled out ahead of the main wave — Jo Ann Outten Kenton from Harrington, DE made her intentions clear early and never let up. She posted the fastest women's split on the 5K–10K segment and led every single checkpoint from start to finish, ultimately finishing in 1:46:35 at a 4:04/mi average. That's not a race won at the line; it's a race controlled from the gun.

Behind her, Holly Koester (2nd, 2:24:02) and Amanda Seward (3rd, 2:46:29) were similarly locked in — both held their positions without interruption, running the 2nd- and 3rd-fastest women's splits respectively on the 5K–10K segment. The top three looked almost like a procession, each separated by substantial gaps: 37:27 from 1st to 2nd, and another 22:27 from 2nd to 3rd.

The real drama played out in the race for 4th and 5th. Francisca Martínez-Ríos (Stafford, VA) worked her way up from 6th at the opening checkpoint, eventually claiming 4th in 3:07:13 on the strength of the 4th-fastest women's split on the 30K–35K segment. Katherine Valdez (Jamaica, NY) had a wilder ride — as high as 4th and as low as 8th at various points — before her strong 21K–25K segment pulled her back into contention. She finished 5th in 3:09:35, just 2:22 behind Martínez-Ríos.

Michele Gallucci (6th, 3:16:11), Stephanie Borinsky (7th, 3:21:31), Lee Kuxhaus (8th, 3:30:13), Allison Burrell (9th, 3:52:59), Heidi Stark (10th, 4:41:45), and Taylor Wyss (11th, 6:39:37) all completed the iconic 26.2-mile loop through Washington, D.C. and Arlington — eleven women finishing one of the most distinctive events in one of the world's largest marathons.