NB35-39 Women: Gonzalez Defends in Near-Identical Time

• Justine Gonzalez won the NB35-39 race in 1:47:50 (8:14/mi), just six seconds off her winning time here in 2025 (1:47:44).
• Mimi Hensel took 2nd in 1:53:51 (8:41/mi), posting the 4th-fastest women's split on the 4M→6M segment.
• Marlies Staples finished 3rd in 2:06:01 (9:37/mi), closing the race with the 4th-fastest women's split on the 12M→Finish stretch.
• A six-minute gap separated 1st from 2nd, with another 12 minutes back to 3rd — Gonzalez was in a class of her own.

Justine Gonzalez came to San Francisco with unfinished business — or rather, finished it almost to the second. The 37-year-old from Los Angeles crossed in 1:47:50, just six seconds slower than her winning effort here in 2025, making back-to-back NB35-39 titles in this race a genuine storyline. She ran 8:14/mi and was a consistent presence near the front of the women's field throughout, holding 2nd among women through much of the race before settling to 3rd by the finish. Her 2nd-fastest women's split on the 2M→4M segment showed she wasn't simply managing — she was racing.

Mimi Hensel, the 35-year-old San Francisco local, made a quiet but steady run through the women's field, moving from 4th to 4th overall among women before climbing to 4th at the finish. She clocked 1:53:51 at 8:41/mi — a noticeably different pace from Gonzalez — and her 4th-fastest women's split on the 4M→6M segment showed she found her best rhythm in the middle miles. Six minutes separated her from the winner, a gap that tells the real story of how dominant Gonzalez was up front.

Marlies Staples made the trip from Minneapolis and saved her best for last. The 37-year-old finished 3rd in 2:06:01 (9:37/mi) and earned the 4th-fastest women's split on the 12M→Finish segment — a strong closing kick that moved her from 10th to 7th among women in the final miles. On a breezy 59°F morning along the San Francisco waterfront, she ran a measured race and finished it well.