Masters Women: Kate Kelp-Stebbins Runs Down the Field for a 3:10 Victory

• Kate Kelp-Stebbins won the Masters Women race in 3:10:35 (7:16/mi), finishing more than 11 minutes 50 seconds clear of runner-up Laura Baumann.
• Joanna Drewnicka-Ogrodniik, age 55, claimed 3rd in 3:25:44 with the 12th-fastest women's split on the 24 Miles→Finish segment, closing through the field when it mattered most.
• 4th and 5th were separated by just 22 seconds — Marin Pilloud (3:31:20) edging Rebecca Blodgett (3:31:42).
• June Lee, age 62, finished 18th in 3:48:54 — one of the standout performances in a 395-woman field.

In cool, damp conditions — 54°F and 94% humidity draped over San Francisco's hills — Kate Kelp-Stebbins of Eugene, OR delivered a commanding performance. She didn't lead wire-to-wire among the women; her gender position drifted as far back as 16th through the middle miles. But then she surged. Between miles 18 and the finish she climbed from 16th among women all the way back to 6th, and by the line she had the Masters Women title locked up in 3:10:35. Her early work was sharp too — she posted the 7th-fastest women's split on the 2.2-to-5.7-mile stretch, helping her stay in contention before the decisive back-half move.

Laura Baumann of Stockton ran a strong second half herself, posting the 18th-fastest women's split from mile 18 to mile 24 and moving from 25th among women to 15th by the finish, good for 2nd in Masters Women in 3:22:27. But the gap to Kelp-Stebbins was never really in doubt — 11-plus minutes is a decisive margin at any level.

The most compelling late-race story belonged to Joanna Drewnicka-Ogrodniik, the 55-year-old from Wroclaw who ran 3:25:44. She had faded to 44th among women by mile 18, but then produced the 12th-fastest women's split on the final stretch from mile 24 to the finish — a genuine closer's move that earned her the 3rd spot on the Masters podium. Behind her, Marin Pilloud (3:31:20) and Rebecca Blodgett (3:31:42) traded places through the second half before landing just 22 seconds apart at the line.