San Francisco 5K: Diane Jannetti dominates the F65-69 field

• Jannetti wins by 5:31 — her 27:43 finish at 8:55/mi was comfortably clear of runner-up Christine Spicola's 33:14.
• Spicola holds second — her 10:42/mi pace secured a firm gap over 3rd-place Liz De Vries (41:42, 13:25/mi), a difference of more than eight minutes.
• A tight cluster at the back — six finishers between 52:56 and 54:45 battled through the final stretch, with Nancy Hagner (6th, 52:56), Carmen Herlihy (7th, 53:34), Rajalakshmi Cb (8th, 53:50), Charlotte Mehegan (9th, 54:15), and Marian Tatsuno (10th, 54:45) separated by less than two minutes total.
• 13 women completed the course on a cool, overcast San Francisco morning, with Marina O'Meany rounding out the field in 1:04:09 at 20:39/mi.

Diane Jannetti of Andover, MA set the tone from the start, running 8:55/mi through the San Francisco streets to finish in 27:43 — a pace that placed her in a different race entirely from the rest of the F65-69 field. Her margin of victory over Christine Spicola was 5 minutes and 31 seconds, a gap that speaks to just how commanding her effort was on a humid, 57-degree morning by the bay.

Spicola, representing Rancho Cucamonga, CA, was a clear and comfortable second at 33:14, running 10:42/mi — notably quicker than the rest of the field. Liz De Vries of Fremont, CA claimed the final podium spot in 41:42, and Nalini Kumari Ganapatiraju of San Francisco took 4th in 45:55, with Atsuko Jenks of Menlo Park crossing 5th in 50:24.

The real drama unfolded in the race's mid-to-late pack, where six women arrived within a two-minute window. Hagner (52:56) edged Herlihy (53:34) by 38 seconds for 6th, while Rajalakshmi Cb (53:50), Mehegan (54:15), and Tatsuno (54:45) followed in quick succession. Maureen Lyons finished 11th in 56:10, Marissa Legarda 12th in 59:25, and O'Meany brought the full field home in 1:04:09 — all 13 finishers earning their miles on a characteristically breezy San Francisco morning.