F25-29 Half Marathon: Gustafson dominates on the Parkway

• Laura Gustafson, 29, Rocklin — wins the F25-29 age group in 1:25:51 (6:33/mi), finishing 2nd among all women
• 10:22 gap separates Gustafson from runner-up Julia Freimuth (1:36:13, 7:20/mi)
• Jordan Poczobutt and Maya Young finished 3rd and 4th just 8 seconds apart — 1:51:48 vs. 1:51:56 — with Young running the faster Mile 10→Finish split to nearly close the gap
• 19 finishers completed the F25-29 race, spanning from 1:25:51 to 4:08:50

Laura Gustafson made the F25-29 race her own from the start. The 29-year-old from Rocklin held 2nd among all women through Mile 4 and never let it slip, ultimately winning the age group by more than ten minutes. Her 6:33/mi average was a cut above the field, and her second-fastest women's split on the Mile 4→Mile 10 stretch underscored that this wasn't a front-loaded gamble — she was genuinely the strongest runner out there on a warm November morning in Folsom, with temperatures sitting at 74°F.

Julia Freimuth, 27, running on home turf in Folsom, was a clear and comfortable second in 1:36:13. She held 4th among all women through every checkpoint and backed it up with the 4th-fastest women's split on the Mile 4→Mile 10 segment — a steady, well-paced effort that left no drama about her runner-up finish.

The most compelling battle in the age group played out further back, between Jordan Poczobutt (San Francisco, 26) and Maya Young (Sacramento, 29). Poczobutt crossed in 1:51:48 to claim 3rd, but Young made her work for it. Young was as far back as 18th among women at Mile 4, then climbed steadily to 11th by the finish, posting the 8th-fastest women's split on the Mile 10→Finish stretch. That late surge cut the gap to just 8 seconds — a genuine catch-up, with Poczobutt holding on rather than pulling away.

Monica Cedeno, 29, of Marysville rounded out the top five in 1:58:22 (9:02/mi), also moving up through the women's field across the second half. Behind her, the age group spread wide — Christy Xiong (2:14:10) through Hannah Ramirez (4:08:50) representing a full range of efforts across the 13.1 miles along the American River Parkway.