San Francisco Marathon 5K: Adriana Zavala Dominates F60-64

• Zavala wins by 5:39, finishing in 28:51 at a 9:17/mi pace — well clear of the rest of the F60-64 field.
• Rosalba Garcia Castillo takes 2nd in 34:30, with Aura Hidalgo of London rounding out the podium in 37:01 — a 2:31 gap between them.
• Positions 4–7 compress tightly, with Elsa Schmidtberger (40:47), Soledad Cortez (41:27), Alicia Jones (41:56), and Diane Kendall (42:29) all finishing within a 1:42 window.
• 25 women completed the F60-64 race on a cool, overcast San Francisco morning — 57°F with a light breeze off the bay.

Adriana Zavala made this one look straightforward. The 60-year-old from México crossed in 28:51, running 9:17/mi through the San Francisco streets — a pace that put nearly six minutes between her and the rest of the field. That kind of margin doesn't just win a race; it reframes it. The real contest was for the places behind her.

Rosalba Garcia Castillo, representing San Francisco itself, claimed 2nd in 34:30 at 11:06/mi, while Aura Hidalgo — making the trip from London — earned 3rd in 37:01 at 11:55/mi. The gap from Castillo to Hidalgo was meaningful at 2:31, but both ran well clear of the chasing pack.

That chasing pack had its own drama. Schmidtberger (40:47), Cortez (41:27), Jones (41:56), and Kendall (42:29) waged a four-way battle across roughly a mile and a half of elapsed time — four athletes, four separate towns, separated by less than two minutes. Kathleen Yee of Jackson, MS finished 8th in 43:42, and Carmela Chandrasekera of Novato rounded out the top nine in 45:15.

Further back, a cluster of Bay Area runners filled out the field, with Mary McDevitt (50:44) and Maria Fe Damasig (50:46) finishing just two seconds apart in 15th and 16th. Anita George wrapped up the listed finishers in 20th at 54:28, with five more women completing the course beyond her. Zavala's victory was never in doubt — but for the 24 women behind her, San Francisco delivered a proper race.