SF Half Marathon NB50-54: Vajrabukka Owns the Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Vansit Alberto Vajrabukka, age 52, crossed in 2:45:16 at a 12:36/mi pace.
• Standout segment: Vajrabukka posted the 14th-fastest women's split in the field on the 10.54M–11.05M stretch late in the race.
• Consistent position: Held 15th among women from the first checkpoint through the finish line.

Vansit Alberto Vajrabukka of San Francisco had the NB50-54 field entirely to herself on Sunday, and she made it count. Crossing in 2:45:16 at 12:36 per mile, she claimed the win by the only margin that matters — being the only one who showed up and got it done.

What gives her run real texture is that late-race segment from 10.54 to 11.05 miles, where she turned in the 14th-fastest women's split across the entire field. With the finish line coming into view, Vajrabukka was moving — measuring herself not just against a solo effort but against the broader women's race, and holding her own.

She also ran a remarkably steady race. Her position among the women — 15th — never shifted from the first checkpoint to the last, a sign of a runner who knew her pace and executed it without drama. In a city known for its hills and its fog, that kind of composure over 13.1 miles is its own achievement.