SF Half Marathon: Barney Owns the NB25-29 Field

• Samantha Barney, 26, San Francisco — 1st in NB25-29, finishing in 1:50:44 (8:27/mi avg)
• Wire-to-wire women's leader — held 1st among women from start to finish
• 2nd-fastest women's split on the 2.95M–5M segment, one of the sharpest stretches in the women's field

Samantha Barney was the only finisher in the NB25-29 field, and she made the most of it — crossing in 1:50:44 at an 8:27/mi average on a cool, humid San Francisco morning. The 26-year-old local ran the entire race as the top woman, never relinquishing that position from the first checkpoint to the last.

What stands out beyond the clean sweep of her division is how she ran the middle stretch. On the 2.95-mile to 5-mile segment, Barney posted the 2nd-fastest split among all women in the field — a sign she wasn't just holding position but actively racing through one of the course's key passages. At 57°F with heavy humidity, maintaining that kind of pace through the fog-draped streets of San Francisco is no small thing.

With no challengers in NB25-29, Barney's story is really about her performance against the broader women's field — and it holds up well. A wire-to-wire lead among women and a near-top split on a pivotal segment make her 1:50:44 more than a division formality. It's a genuine statement.