Napa Valley 5K: Costella dominates the F35-39 field in the rain

• Elysha Costella won the F35-39 race in 19:36 (6:19/mi) — more than two minutes clear of the field.
• Stephanie Jenkins claimed 2nd in 21:41 (6:59/mi), with Denise Butler 3rd in 22:56 (7:23/mi).
• The top-5 span of 5:04 — from Costella's 19:36 to Stephanie Pitts' 24:40 — shows how quickly the field spread out on a cold, wet Napa morning.
• Courtney Ochoa (10th, 28:44) and Stephanie Nehmens (11th, 28:56) were the tightest battle of the day, separated by just 12 seconds.

Forty-one degrees, light rain, and a damp Napa Valley course set the stage for the F35-39 5K, and Elysha Costella of Sausalito made it look straightforward. Her 19:36 at 6:19 per mile was in a different gear from everyone else in the field — Jenkins' 2nd-place 21:41 was a solid run in its own right, but Costella had already put 2:05 between them by the finish line. In a 55-woman field, that kind of margin doesn't happen by accident.

Behind Jenkins, Denise Butler of Mountain View ran 22:56 to lock up 3rd, and Lyn Schneider of Denver crossed 4th in 23:58 — a 40-second gap between them that nonetheless left both well clear of 5th. Stephanie Pitts, racing on home turf in Napa, rounded out the top five in 24:40, nearly a minute back of Schneider but ahead of a closely packed middle group.

The real drama in the standings played out further back. Laura Kent (6th, 25:29) and Michelle Adams (7th, 25:51) were separated by just 22 seconds, while Nicole Schwager (8th, 27:56) and Elizabeth Marxen (9th, 28:06) were only 10 seconds apart. Ochoa and Nehmens in 10th and 11th — 28:44 and 28:56 — were the closest pairing of the day, trading 9:15 and 9:19 pace through the wet streets. All 55 finishers earned their result on a morning that demanded something extra just to toe the line.