NB40-44 Half Marathon: Dhal leads a two-woman showdown through the streets of San Francisco

• Sunanda Dhal wins NB40-44 in 2:17:52 (10:31/mi), posting the 8th-fastest women's split on the 4.9M→11.9M segment.
• Manfan Chow finishes 2nd in 2:40:11 (12:13/mi), clocking the 11th-fastest women's split on that same middle stretch.
• A 22:19 gap separates the two finishers — a margin that tells the story of two very different races unfolding over 13.1 miles.

Sunanda Dhal, 44, from Pacifica, owned NB40-44 from start to finish. Running at a 10:31/mi clip, she crossed in 2:17:52 and was never seriously threatened within the field. Her most impressive stretch came through the 4.9-to-11.9-mile corridor, where she posted the 8th-fastest women's split on that segment — meaning the bulk of the women's field, regardless of age, couldn't match her pace through the heart of the course. She moved fluidly through the women's standings across checkpoints, sitting 8th, dipping briefly to 9th, then recovering to 8th by the finish.

Manfan Chow, 42, from Richmond, ran her own quietly strong race. She actually moved in the opposite direction through the women's field — climbing from 13th at the first checkpoint all the way to 11th by the halfway mark and holding that position through the finish. Her 12:13/mi average reflects a steady, measured effort, and her 11th-fastest women's split on the 4.9M→11.9M stretch shows she was genuinely competitive over that demanding middle segment, even if the gap to Dhal proved too large to close. She crossed in 2:40:11 to claim 2nd in NB40-44.

Two finishers, two solid performances, and a clear winner — Dhal takes the NB40-44 title with authority.