Women's Marathon: Bookmyer Wires the Field from Gun to Tape

• Molly Bookmyer, 2:28:52 — led every single checkpoint, posted the fastest women's split on the 5K–10K segment, and finished more than four minutes clear of second place.
• Jessica Watychowicz, 2:33:02 — the 2022 champion returned to the podium with the fastest women's split on the 35K–40K segment, climbing from 5th at the halfway point to 2nd by the finish.
• Ashlee Powers, 2:33:40 — held 3rd for much of the race and posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 10K–15K segment; Watychowicz's late surge couldn't quite catch her.
• Madison Offstein, 2:36:07 — ran with the leaders early (2nd through 25K) before fading to 5th, while Megan O'Neil, 2:34:55 moved steadily forward to claim 4th.

There was no suspense at the front of the women's field on a cool, breezy October morning along the Chain of Lakes. Molly Bookmyer of Columbus, OH, was first among the women from the opening kilometers and never relinquished the spot — her position read 1st at every single checkpoint across the 26.2-mile point-to-point course from Minneapolis to Saint Paul. Running at a 5:41/mi average, she crossed in 2:28:52, more than four minutes ahead of second place in a women's field of 2,576.

The real drama unfolded behind her. Jessica Watychowicz — who won this very race in 2022 in 2:33:09 — was as far back as 5th at multiple checkpoints before unleashing the fastest women's split on the 35K–40K segment to claw back to 2nd, finishing in 2:33:02. Ashlee Powers of Beverly Hills, CA, had been running a composed race in 3rd, backed by the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 10K–15K segment, and she held on to claim 3rd in 2:33:40 — just 38 seconds separating those two after more than two and a half hours of racing.

Fourth and fifth told contrasting stories. Megan O'Neil (2:34:55, 5:55/mi) was a steady climber, moving from 6th early to lock down 4th with the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 25K–30K segment. Madison Offstein ran with the leaders for the first half — sitting 2nd through 25K — but faded over the final stretch to finish 5th in 2:36:07. Local favorite Kimberly Carr of Maplewood, MN, rounded out the top six in 2:36:29, while 24-year-old Miku Hirashima, racing from Japan, took 7th in 2:39:35.