San Francisco Marathon Women's Race: Atilano Crosses the Finish Line

• Sole finisher: Laura Atilano completed the San Francisco Marathon in 4:22:27 (10:01/mi avg), the only woman to finish in this race.
• Steady climber: Atilano moved from 1,340th among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 520th by the penultimate split — a gain of 820 places through the field.
• Garmin Hill Challenge: She posted the 345th-fastest women's split on the 10.89M→Garmin Hill Challenge segment.

Laura Atilano of Walnut Creek, CA was the lone woman to cross the finish line in the 2024 San Francisco Marathon, clocking 4:22:27 at a 10:01/mi average pace. With no one else in the women's race to measure against, the story here is entirely her own — and it's a story of relentless forward progress.

From the opening miles, Atilano was working her way through the broader field. She entered the first checkpoint ranked 1,340th among women, but that number would keep falling: 950th, then 790th, 742nd, 700th, 613th, 520th — each checkpoint a new gain. By the time she crossed the line at 515th among women, she had moved up more than 800 spots, a testament to a patient, well-paced effort over San Francisco's famously demanding terrain.

The 10.89-mile stretch into the Garmin Hill Challenge is where the city's hills make their presence felt most, and Atilano navigated it well enough to rank 345th-fastest among women on that segment. For a solo finisher on a cool, humid July morning in one of America's most challenging marathon courses, finishing is its own statement — and Atilano made it.