F45-49 Half Marathon: Amy Crain Wins in Napa, But Not Without a Fight

• Amy Crain took the F45-49 title in 1:24:55 (6:29/mi), running 23rd among all women — a year after finishing 4th among women overall at this same race in 1:22:07.
• Celeste Prothro was a clear but respectful 3:34 back in 2nd (1:28:29, 6:45/mi); Maija Zimmerman claimed 3rd in 1:30:15 (6:53/mi).
• The closest battle of the day: Dena Evans (4th, 1:30:21) and Marisa Lerch (5th, 1:31:03) both climbed from outside the top 68 among women at 6.9 miles to finish 54th and 61st — strong back-half surges that nearly cracked the podium.
• A field of 148 finishers spread across a 29-minute window, from Crain's 1:24:55 down to the tail of the pack.

Amy Crain came into Napa with unfinished business. A year ago she crossed this same finish line 4th among all women in 1:22:07 — fast, but just off the podium. On a cool, breezy March morning in 2025, she returned and won the F45-49 field outright, running 6:29/mi through 13.1 miles. She posted the 22nd-fastest women's split on the 3.1-to-6.9-mile stretch, a segment where she moved from 24th to 23rd among women — steady, controlled, and in command throughout. Her 2025 time of 1:24:55 is 2:12 slower than her 2024 effort, a reminder of how honest race-day conditions (47°F, 12 mph wind, 79% humidity) can shape a result.

Celeste Prothro (San Francisco) ran a composed 6:45/mi to finish 2nd in 1:28:29, holding 40th among women with notable consistency through the middle miles. Maija Zimmerman (Highlands Ranch, CO) made the trip from Colorado count, finishing 3rd in 1:30:15 at 6:53/mi and actually gaining places among women in the back half, moving from 55th to 53rd. Right behind her, the race's most dramatic moves were playing out: Dena Evans and Marisa Lerch were both buried around 68th–69th among women at the 6.9-mile mark, then each turned in a strong closing stretch. Evans posted the 44th-fastest women's split on that final segment to finish 4th in 1:30:21 — just six seconds behind Zimmerman. Lerch followed in 5th at 1:31:03, her 60th-fastest closing split pulling her up to 61st among women at the line.

Behind the top five, a substantial gap opened before Beth Manning (6th, 1:38:48) and Jennifer Bennett (7th, 1:39:39) led a tightly packed group through the 1:39–1:43 range. Elizabeth Tovey (10th, 1:42:30) and Mihaela Neagos (11th, 1:42:57) rounded out that cluster before the field spread further into the 1:46–1:53 window occupied by finishers 12th through 20th.