San Francisco Marathon NB45-49: Jl Odom Owns the Field

• Solo champion: Jl Odom finished in 3:17:52 at a 7:33/mi pace — the only finisher in the NB45-49 field.
• Garmin Hill Challenge standout: Odom posted the fastest women's split on the 10.89M→Garmin Hill Challenge segment in the entire women's field.
• Race-long contention: Odom ran among the top two women throughout, briefly dipping to 2nd before reclaiming 1st in the women's standings by the final stretch.

Jl Odom of San Francisco had the NB45-49 field entirely to herself on Sunday, crossing the line in 3:17:52 — but make no mistake, her race was anything but a solo jog. Racing in 56°F overcast conditions with heavy 92% humidity blanketing the Bay, Odom was locked in a genuine battle within the broader women's field for most of the 26.2 miles.

The move that defined her day came on the Garmin Hill Challenge segment — the 10.89-mile stretch that punishes the underprepared. Odom didn't just survive it; she posted the fastest women's split on that segment in the entire field. That surge was the engine behind her push back to 1st among the women, a position she'd briefly ceded to 2nd and then reclaimed for good, holding it through the tape.

Finishing in 3:17:52 at a steady 7:33/mi, Odom takes the NB45-49 title uncontested — but her performance on the hills and her resilience in the women's standings tell a story worth telling regardless of the field size.