Napa Valley Marathon F25-29: Kacius surges late to claim the title

• Anna Kacius wins in 2:57:35 (6:46/mi), posting the 2nd-fastest women's split from mile 20 to the finish to seal the victory.
• Amanda Wiggenhorn holds on for 2nd in 2:58:05 — just 30 seconds back — with the 4th-fastest closing women's split over that same stretch.
• Ashleigh Kleinjan climbs from 15th to 8th among women en route to 3rd in F25-29 in 3:04:30, with the 6th-fastest closing split among women.
• Emma Dohner fades over the final miles, slipping from 6th to 10th among women and finishing 4th in 3:06:43 after posting the 7th-fastest women's split through the 10K-to-half stretch.

Anna Kacius ran a patient, calculated race. She entered the 20-mile mark sitting 10th among women, but what happened next was a different story entirely. Her closing 6.2 miles were among the best in the women's field — the 2nd-fastest final split of any woman on the course — and she rocketed from 10th to 5th among women, claiming the F25-29 title in 2:57:35 at a 6:46/mi clip on a crisp, cold March morning in Napa.

Amanda Wiggenhorn had been running a steadier race, holding 6th among women from the 10K mark all the way through mile 20. She too closed hard, posting the 4th-fastest women's split over that final stretch, but Kacius's surge proved just enough — 30 seconds separated them at the line, with Wiggenhorn finishing 2nd in 2:58:05.

The most dramatic climb of the day belonged to Ashleigh Kleinjan. Starting the race outside the top 14 among women, she moved steadily and saved her best for last, posting the 6th-fastest closing women's split to finish 3rd in F25-29 in 3:04:30 (7:02/mi). Meanwhile, Emma Dohner ran the opposite arc — strong through the halfway point with the 7th-fastest women's split from 10K to 13.1 miles, but fading in the back half to finish 4th in 3:06:43. Margaret Sobolewski mirrored Kleinjan's late charge, climbing from 20th among women at mile 20 all the way to 12th by the finish, rounding out the top five in F25-29 in 3:08:17.