Napa Valley Half Marathon F60-64: Christine Hayne Lies Holds Off a Late Charge

• Winner: Christine Hayne Lies (Saint Helena, age 64) crossed in 1:57:14 at an 8:57/mi pace — the only finisher in the F60-64 field to break the two-hour mark on the opening half.
• Closest battle of the day: Michele Allen finished 2nd in 1:57:57, just 43 seconds back — but she was fading hard over the final 6.9 miles, dropping from 221st to 322nd among women, while Lies was surging forward.
• Tight 3rd–4th duel: Loretta Stephenson (3rd, 1:59:32) and Marguerite Koh (4th, 1:59:33) finished just one second apart — both running 9:07/mi averages, with Stephenson holding the edge by the slimmest of margins.
• Top five all sub-2:01: Sheila Oneill rounded out the top five in 2:00:01, meaning five women in a 55-finisher field cracked the two-hour barrier or came within a second of it.

A crisp 41°F morning along the Napa Valley course set the stage for fast times, and Christine Hayne Lies made the most of it. The 64-year-old from Saint Helena — the oldest athlete in the top five — ran a composed 8:57/mi to win the F60-64 field in 1:57:14. Crucially, she was getting stronger as the race went on, climbing from 332nd to 295th among women over the back half for the 284th-fastest women's split on that closing stretch.

The most dramatic story of the race, however, belongs to Michele Allen. The San Antonio runner held a commanding position among women at the halfway point — 221st — but faded significantly over the final 6.9 miles, recording the 410th-fastest women's split on that segment and slipping to 322nd among women by the finish. She still claimed 2nd in 1:57:57, but what looked like a potential victory turned into a 43-second runner-up finish as Lies reeled her in.

Behind them, Loretta Stephenson and Marguerite Koh staged one of the tightest finishes of the morning — 1:59:32 to 1:59:33, separated by a single second after 13.1 miles. Both averaged 9:07/mi, with Stephenson's 332nd-fastest women's closing split edging Koh's 344th. Sheila Oneill (5th, 2:00:01) faded over the back half as well, dropping from 313th to 368th among women, but still squeezed under the two-hour mark to give the F60-64 field five finishers within three minutes of each other at the top.