NB25-29 Women's 5K: Clark Takes the Title in San Francisco

• Alyssa Clark wins the NB25-29 race in 42:34 (13:42/mi), moving up from 8th to 7th among the women in the final stretch.
• Anissa Rodriguez finishes 2nd in 44:18 (14:16/mi), a 1:44 gap back — a margin built largely in the closing half.
• Clark's second-half split ranked 8th-fastest among all women on the 2.5K-to-finish segment; Rodriguez ranked 9th — Clark pulling away where it counted.
• Clark is no stranger to race-day competition: she also went 9th in the Alexi Pappas 10K at this same event, making her 5K win part of a genuine multi-race weekend.

A two-woman field doesn't mean a quiet race. Alyssa Clark of San Francisco and Anissa Rodriguez of Sacramento went toe-to-toe through the first half of this breezy, 60°F morning on the city's streets — with Rodriguez actually holding the edge in the women's standings at the midpoint, sitting 7th to Clark's 8th.

The second half told a different story. Clark ran the 2.5K-to-finish segment with the 8th-fastest women's split in the field, while Rodriguez clocked the 9th-fastest — close in rank, but Clark was clearly the faster runner on that stretch. That closing surge flipped their positions in the women's standings (Clark moving to 7th, Rodriguez settling to 8th) and sealed a 1:44 margin at the line: 42:34 to 44:18.

What makes Clark's win land with extra weight is the context around it. She didn't just show up for the 5K — she also raced the Alexi Pappas 10K at this event, finishing 9th there. Doubling across two races in the same weekend is a real ask, and Clark answered it with a title.

Rodriguez, running from Sacramento, gave a genuine push and her 44:18 on a windy San Francisco morning is nothing to dismiss — but on this day, Clark had the closing legs to back it up.