San Francisco Marathon 5K: Sam Leads a Sharp F40-44 Field Through the Fog

• Priscille Sam wins in 22:44 (7:19/mi), the fastest in the F40-44 field of 49.
• Top-four gap: Sam's 28-second margin over Julia Malato (2nd, 23:12) and Malato's 19-second edge over Sarah Fadamitan (3rd, 23:31) made for a tightly contested podium — the top three separated by just 47 seconds.
• Pace cliff after 4th: Princesa Pabalan ran 7:49/mi to finish 4th in 24:18; 5th-place Tabriz Holtz clocked 8:32/mi for a 26:32 — a 2:14 gap that marked the field's sharpest drop-off.
• 49 women finished in F40-44, with the top 20 spanning a range from 22:44 to 34:44.

San Francisco delivered its signature July morning — 53°F, damp at 95% humidity, and a steady breeze off the bay — and the F40-44 field ran right into it. Priscille Sam of San Ramon set the tone from the start, crossing in 22:44 at a 7:19/mi clip to claim the win convincingly. Her margin over runner-up Julia Malato, a San Francisco local who finished in 23:12 (7:28/mi), was a clear 28 seconds — fast enough that Malato had no room to close.

The battle for third was the podium's most intriguing subplot. Chicago's Sarah Fadamitan posted a 23:31 (7:34/mi), finishing 19 seconds behind Malato and earning the bronze. Fadamitan ran a noticeably quicker pace than fourth-place Princesa Pabalan of Brisbane, CA, who crossed in 24:18 at 7:49/mi — a 47-second gap that reflected a real difference in pace, not just a close call.

Behind the top four, the race spread out considerably. Tabriz Holtz (5th, 26:32) and Christine Chou (6th, 26:47) ran together in spirit if not quite in stride, separated by just 15 seconds at 8:32 and 8:37 per mile respectively. Further back, Janeth Santiago (7th, 29:08) and Martha Mar (8th, 29:17) were locked in their own tight duel, nine seconds apart after 3.1 miles of San Francisco streets.