Masters Women's Marathon: Johnston Runs Down the Win on the Silverado Trail

• Paula Johnston (Calgary, AB) took the Masters Women's title in 3:09:12 (7:13/mi), the fastest pace in this field by a clear margin.
• Shari Costanzo, 50, of Napa, CA, claimed 3rd in 3:12:45 — the top finisher in her 50s, running her home course to the podium.
• Places 6 and 7 were separated by a single second: Kendal Paul (3:16:53) edged Carla Parsons (3:16:54) in a race decided by the finest of margins.
• Shelly Allen (55, Nevada City, CA) cracked the top 10 with a 3:19:19, the strongest performance among the 50-plus contingent outside Costanzo.

Paula Johnston didn't take the lead and cruise — she earned it. Tracking the gender standings among the full women's field, Johnston moved steadily from 23rd at the first checkpoint to 18th by mile 16, then navigated a brief fade before reasserting herself to finish 20th among all women. Her 19th-fastest women's split on the 13.1M–16.2M stretch was the move that mattered most, a mid-race surge through the vineyard corridor along the Silverado Trail that separated her from the field. At 7:13/mi across 26.2 miles, she was the class of a 252-runner Masters Women's field.

Taushah Crawford (Carmel, IN) made her own push early, posting the 22nd-fastest women's split on the 6.2M–10M segment and running as high as 17th among all women before gradually settling back to finish 2nd in 3:10:50 (7:17/mi) — 1:38 behind Johnston. Shari Costanzo completed the podium in 3:12:45, a 7:21/mi effort that is all the more impressive given she's 50 years old and racing on home soil in Napa. Megan Kono (San Rafael, CA) was fourth in 3:13:35, also posting a strong 6.2M–10M split before fading slightly in the women's standings through the back half.

Jennifer Hou (Cambridge, MA) rounded out the top five in 3:15:32, climbing steadily from 37th among all women at the first check to 28th by mile 16 before holding on to finish 33rd — the most consistent upward mover in the top five. Just behind her, the battle for 6th and 7th played out over 26.2 miles only to be settled by one second: Kendal Paul (North Vancouver, BC) finished in 3:16:53 to Carla Parsons's (Vancouver, BC) 3:16:54. At the back of the top 20, Aya Van Wagner and Lara Salamacha both clocked 3:29:2x — Van Wagner in 3:29:22, Salamacha one second later in 3:29:23 — a bookend to a day full of tight finishes in a deep, competitive Masters Women's field.