SF Marathon 5K — F35-39: Ivy Li Runs Away With It

• Ivy Li wins in 21:28 (6:55/mi) — nearly two minutes clear of 2nd place in a 116-finisher F35-39 field.
• Yuriy Kagan takes 2nd in 23:26 (7:33/mi), with Stephanie Ellis 3rd in 24:20 (7:50/mi).
• Cathryn Cadwell finishes 4th in 24:46, just 26 seconds behind Ellis — the tightest gap on the podium's back end.
• Marcela Gracia (5th, 26:25) leads the next cluster, with 6th through 8th place all finishing within 39 seconds of each other.

Ivy Li turned the F35-39 race into a one-woman show on a cool, overcast San Francisco morning. Running 6:55/mi, the 38-year-old San Francisco local crossed in 21:28 — a margin of 1:58 over 2nd place that left no doubt about who owned this field. In a 116-finisher race, that kind of gap at the front is decisive by any measure.

Behind Li, Yuriy Kagan (2nd, 23:26) and Stephanie Ellis (3rd, 24:20) ran a genuine battle of their own, separated by 54 seconds, with Ellis running a noticeably faster 7:50/mi pace to Kagan's 7:33/mi — meaning Kagan held the edge despite Ellis closing the gap somewhat. Cathryn Cadwell (4th, 24:46) kept it honest, finishing just 26 seconds behind Ellis to round out the top four within a tight 1:20 window from 2nd through 4th.

The mid-field told its own story. Marcela Gracia (5th, 26:25) broke slightly clear of the next pack, but Kathleen Gabel Chui (6th, 26:40), Kat Berumen (7th, 27:06), and Dana Duan (8th, 27:45) ran in a genuine cluster — 39 seconds covering three finishers. Emily Schwing (9th, 28:01) and Dollie Sogladfit (10th, 29:05) rounded out the top ten, with Sogladfit a minute back of Schwing in the 9:22/mi range. From there, the field spread across the 30-minute mark and beyond, with Deland Chan (20th, 33:32) capping the listed finishers at a steady 10:48/mi.