Napa Valley Half Marathon F35-39: Shideler Surges to the Tape

• Kristina Shideler won F35-39 in 1:23:42 (6:23/mi), posting the 6th-fastest women's split on the final 6.9M–Finish stretch to seal the victory.
• Melissa Gioe (2nd, 1:25:17) ran the 9th-fastest women's split on the 3.1M–6.9M segment, building enough of a cushion to hold off a late charge and finish 1:35 behind Shideler.
• Jess Movold (3rd, 1:26:08) and Diane Nukuri (4th, 1:26:09) staged one of the day's closest finishes — one second apart after 13.1 miles in 40°F rain.
• Julia Noel (5th, 1:27:10) was the field's biggest mover, climbing from 28th among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 21st by the finish.

Kristina Shideler came to Napa and meant business. Running 6:23 per mile through cold, wet conditions, the Santa Rosa native moved from 10th among women at the opening checkpoint to 7th by the midpoint — and she didn't stop there. Her 6th-fastest women's split on the back half of the course was the decisive blow, pulling her clear of the field and delivering a 1:23:42 that stood alone atop the F35-39 leaderboard by a margin of 1:35 over second place.

Melissa Gioe (1:25:17, 6:30/mi) was the one who made her work hardest in the middle miles, running the 9th-fastest women's split on the 3.1M–6.9M segment to sit comfortably in second. The Belmont runner couldn't match Shideler's finishing gear, but she didn't need to — her mid-race push was enough to keep third place at bay. Behind her, Jess Movold (1:26:08, 6:34/mi) and Diane Nukuri (1:26:09, 6:34/mi) ran virtually side by side all the way to the line, with Movold's 11th-fastest and Nukuri's 12th-fastest women's splits on the back half telling the story of two athletes who both found another gear late — just not quite enough to close on Gioe.

The subplot of the race belonged to Julia Noel, who crossed in 5th at 1:27:10 after one of the most aggressive moves in the field. Starting 28th among women, she ran the 15th-fastest women's split on the 3.1M–6.9M segment to surge through the pack, ultimately landing 21st among women at the finish. Further back, Laura Preble (6th, 1:29:29) and Nelleke Gibson (7th, 1:29:48) rounded out a tight top seven, with Annie Tomlinson (8th, 1:30:50), Elise Peck (9th, 1:30:56), and Kelly Stravers (10th, 1:31:06) all finishing within 16 seconds of one another — a testament to just how competitive the F35-39 field of 174 was on a raw March morning in Napa.