Run the Parkway 20 Miler: Bella Almaraz Owns the F70-74 Field

• Sole finisher and winner: Bella Almaraz, 72, crossed in 4:25:31 at a 13:17/mi average across 20 miles in 74°F heat.
• Strong closing stretch: Almaraz posted the 209th-fastest women's split on the Mile 16→Finish segment, moving from 284th among women to 262nd — gaining 22 places in the women's field over the final miles.
• Net gain of 10 places among women from start to finish, moving from 272nd to 262nd across the full race.

Bella Almaraz of Sacramento was the only athlete to toe the line in the F70-74 age group on Sunday, and she made every step count. Covering all 20 miles in 4:25:31 at 13:17 per mile — on a warm November morning with temperatures reaching 74°F — she took the win by default in the record books, but her performance tells a more interesting story than that.

What stands out is how Almaraz ran the back half. Her women's field position dipped to 284th through the middle miles, but she came alive on the Mile 16→Finish stretch, posting the 209th-fastest women's closing split in the entire women's field. That's a meaningful surge when legs are heavy and the finish line is still miles away, and it lifted her 22 spots among women to finish 262nd.

At 72 years old, grinding out 20 miles in the heat is its own achievement — and Almaraz did it while actually picking up pace when it mattered most. The F70-74 age group winner, unchallenged and unbroken.