Masters Women Ultramarathon: Hughey Conquers 52.4 Miles in San Francisco

• Lisa Hughey wins in 8:06:39 (9:17/mi), more than 20 minutes clear of the field across 52.4 miles of San Francisco streets and bridges.
• Mimi Lam and Shikha Pahwa finish 8 seconds apart — 8:26:55 to 8:27:03 — after Lam ran the 2nd-fastest women's second-marathon split and Pahwa the 4th-fastest to stage a late-race chase.
• Justine Okeefe returns to the podium, finishing 4th in 10:35:05 — she stood 3rd in this same race in 2023 with a 10:07:56.
• Six Masters Women completed one of the rare urban ultras in the country — 52.4 miles, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and looping the full SF Marathon course twice.

Lisa Hughey came to San Francisco and ran the Masters Women's race entirely on her own terms. The Los Alamos, NM runner posted an 8:06:39 finish at 9:17/mi, and her 5th-fastest women's split on the second marathon leg shows she didn't simply bank time and survive — she ran with purpose all the way to the finish. The 20-minute gap she opened over Mimi Lam tells the story of a dominant, wire-to-wire performance in cool, humid conditions along the bay.

Behind Hughey, the battle for 2nd was a genuine thriller decided by eight seconds. Lam (8:26:55, 9:40/mi) had the 2nd-fastest women's split on the back half of the race and moved from 6th in the women's field to 4th — a meaningful climb through the pack. Shikha Pahwa (8:27:03, 9:41/mi) posted the 4th-fastest women's second-marathon split and also moved up, from 4th to 5th in the women's field. The near-identical finish times are the product of very different late-race trajectories: Lam was the one making up ground faster; Pahwa held on gamely, but Lam closed the gap to almost nothing by the finish line.

Justine Okeefe's 4th-place finish in 10:35:05 carries its own weight. She ran this same ultra in 2023 and finished 3rd overall among women in 10:07:56, so she knows this course. The 2024 edition was a tougher day for her — nearly 28 minutes slower — but she still climbed from 12th in the women's field at the halfway mark to 8th by the finish, posting the 7th-fastest women's second-marathon split along the way. Caroline Johnssen (11:01:42) and Ann Pham (12:29:06) rounded out the six-finisher Masters Women's field, each completing a 52.4-mile feat through the fog and hills of San Francisco.