NB25-29 Women's Half: Nielsen Surges Late to Claim the Title

• Elijah Nielsen won the NB25-29 field in 2:00:50 (9:13/mi), posting the fastest women's split on the closing 11.9M→Finish stretch to seal the result.
• Jo Morrison finished 2nd in 2:06:18 — her 4th-fastest women's closing split couldn't close the gap Nielsen had already built.
• Crystal Xiang rounded out the top three in 2:35:29, while Allison Lai finished 4th in 2:57:07.
• Emma Raney (5th, 5:29:08) also raced the Half Marathon First Half earlier, finishing 2nd there — a notable double on the same course.

Nielsen's win was built on a decisive late move. She entered the final segment sitting 3rd among women in the broader field, then unleashed the fastest closing split among all women to surge through to 3rd in the women's race overall — and first in the NB25-29 field by a comfortable margin. Her 9:13/mi average across 13.1 miles was the clear benchmark of the group, and that final stretch was where she put the race away.

Morrison was steady throughout, holding 6th among women from the early miles all the way to the finish. Her 4th-fastest women's closing split shows she was moving well late — but Nielsen was simply faster in that crucial stretch. The 5:28 gap between them at the line reflects the difference in that final segment, not a race that was ever truly in doubt down the stretch.

Xiang (2:35:29) and Lai (2:57:07) each held their positions consistently through the race. Xiang sat 10th among women from mid-race onward and finished there, while Lai's 12th-fastest women's split on the 4.9M→11.9M segment speaks to solid mid-race running at 13:31/mi overall.

The biggest storyline beyond the podium belongs to Raney. She crossed in 5:29:08 for 5th in the NB25-29 field here — but she'd already stood on the podium earlier in the day, finishing 2nd in the Half Marathon First Half. Racing and placing across two events in one day is a feat worth marking, whatever the clock says.