Women's 10 Mile: Natosha Rogers Holds Off a Fast-Finishing Field in Twin Cities

• Rogers wins in 52:29 (5:15/mi), leading wire-to-wire and sealing it with the fastest women's split on the second half.
• Kemboi's closing surge earns 2nd: she ran the fastest women's split from 8.64M to the finish, moving from 3rd to 2nd to clock 52:52 — 23 seconds back.
• Chelangat and Paternain flip positions late: Chelangat held 2nd through the middle before fading to 3rd (53:06); Paternain rocketed from 13th to 5th with the 3rd-fastest women's second-half split (53:25).
• 5,749 women finished across a crisp 52°F morning with a stiff 21 mph wind — conditions that made every sub-5:30 mile feel earned.

Natosha Rogers of Concord, MA, was never seriously threatened for the lead, sitting 1st at every checkpoint on her way to a 52:29 victory at 5:15/mi. What separated her wasn't just her early control — it was her ability to close. Posting the fastest women's split on the second half while the field was chasing her is the mark of a confident, disciplined race.

Behind her, the real drama was in who could finish fastest. Everlyn Kemboi of El Paso, TX, spent the middle miles in 3rd before unleashing the fastest women's split from 8.64 miles to the finish, sweeping past Mercy Chelangat to claim 2nd in 52:52. Chelangat, the 27-year-old from Flagstaff, had been the one applying pressure in the middle — she held 2nd through the midpoint — but Kemboi's closing gear was simply sharper. Chelangat still ran the 4th-fastest women's second-half split and finished a solid 3rd in 53:06.

The most dramatic trajectory in the top ten belonged to Julia Paternain. The 25-year-old Flagstaff runner was 13th at the first checkpoint, 5th by the midpoint, and 5th at the line in 53:25 — powered by the 3rd-fastest women's second-half split. Molly Born, also of Concord, MA, made a similar move, climbing from 6th to 4th with the 5th-fastest split from 8.64M to the finish, finishing in 53:17. Jessie Cardin (53:31, 6th) rounded out a tight top six separated by just over a minute.