Masters Women 5K: Scavarda Runs Away from a Deep Field

• Linda Scavarda wins in 22:56 (7:23/mi), nearly a full minute clear of 2nd-place Kelly Ingham (23:53, 7:41/mi).
• Jennifer Coleman, 61, finishes 5th in 26:39 — and also raced the 10K, finishing 10th among the women in that event.
• Tight cluster at the back of the top 20: places 13 through 16 separated by just three seconds (31:06–31:09).
• 116 Masters Women finished on a warm, blustery December day in Huntsville — 70°F and 17 mph winds made for anything but easy conditions.

Linda Scavarda of Meridianville, Alabama delivered the dominant performance of the Masters Women's race, crossing in 22:56 at a 7:23/mi clip. That's nearly a minute faster than anyone else in the field — Kelly Ingham of Whitefish, Montana ran a strong 23:53 (7:41/mi) for 2nd, but Scavarda was simply in another gear. The gap between 1st and 2nd was wider than the gap between 2nd and 8th.

Linda Bowen (25:33) and Shelly Ambrose (26:00) rounded out the podium and fourth place, separated by 27 seconds and both running comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Then came one of the day's best stories: Jennifer Coleman, 61, from Rome, Georgia, crossed 5th in 26:39 — and that wasn't even her only race this weekend. Coleman also ran the 10K, finishing 10th among the women in that event. Racing across two distances at 61 is a feat worth its own headline.

Sandra Sharp (28:36) and Cheryl Webster (28:39) were nearly inseparable in 6th and 7th, with Angel Brock (28:50) and Jenn Taylor (29:01) close behind to round out the top nine. Then the race produced a genuine logjam: Tj Tatum, Crystal Taylor, Amanda Kelly, and Vanessa Sharp — places 13 through 16 — finished in 31:06, 31:07, 31:08, and 31:09. Four runners, three seconds, on a warm and windy December morning. In a 116-woman field, that kind of compression is hard to manufacture, and nobody was giving an inch.