F19 & Under: Ashlin Mallon Dominates, Erasing Last Year's Near-Miss

• Ashlin Mallon, 16, wins in 20:05 at 6:28/mi — a 47-second improvement over her 3rd-place finish (20:52) in this same race in 2024.
• Gap to 2nd: nearly 5 minutes — Abigail Liao finished 2nd in 25:05, making Mallon's margin one of the most commanding in the F19 & Under field of 65.
• Abigail Liao, age 13, takes 2nd at 25:05 — a standout result for one of the youngest competitors near the top of the field.
• Vanessa Sainz and Delilah Ridlehuber, both age 10, finish 9th and 10th — 32:52 and 33:04 respectively — remarkable showings from the youngest finishers in the top ten.

Ashlin Mallon came back to San Francisco with unfinished business. In 2024 she stood on the podium in 3rd among the women with a 20:52 — fast, but not the top. This year, running a 6:28/mi pace through the city's cool, wind-buffeted morning, she didn't just improve; she won outright in 20:05, shaving 47 seconds off her prior mark and leaving the rest of the F19 & Under field far behind. That's a story with a clean, satisfying arc.

The gap she opened was enormous. Abigail Liao crossed in 2nd at 25:05 (8:04/mi), and Sheridan Nove, 18, rounded out the podium in 3rd at 25:52 (8:20/mi). Between Mallon and Liao lay nearly five minutes — not a race that came down to tactics in the final stretch, but one Mallon controlled from start to finish.

The battle for 4th through 7th was considerably tighter. William Bhatnagar (30:37) and Sara Wong (30:43) were separated by just six seconds, with Riley Dela Fuente (31:12) and Caitlin Cook (31:33) close behind — four finishers spanning less than a minute across those spots.

One of the more quietly impressive sub-plots: Vanessa Sainz and Delilah Ridlehuber, both 10 years old, finished 9th and 10th in 32:52 and 33:04. Racing 3.1 miles through San Francisco at age 10, in 56°F with 14 mph winds, and placing inside the top ten of a 65-person field — that's worth noting on its own.