San Francisco 5K 2026: Jen Haensel Dominates F35-39 with a Commanding Wire-to-Wire Win

• Jen Haensel, 38, wins in 23:48 — a 7:40/mi pace that left the field nearly four minutes behind.
• Gerdania Da Silva Almeida takes 2nd in 27:30 (8:51/mi), the clear runner-up but 3:42 back of the winner.
• Luci Bouwman, 3rd in 29:33, edges Roberta Peixoto (4th, 30:20) by 47 seconds to secure the final podium spot.
• Roberta Peixoto and Raiana Morais battle to the line — 4th (30:20) and 5th (30:21) separated by just one second across 3.1 miles.

Jen Haensel ran a race in a different class entirely. Her 23:48 finish at 7:40/mi wasn't just a win — it was a statement. In a field of 110 women in the F35-39 group, no one came within 3:42 of her. Haensel, a San Francisco local running on home roads, put that gap on Gerdania Da Silva Almeida of San Mateo, who ran a solid 27:30 at 8:51/mi to claim second. That's a meaningful difference in pace, and Haensel held it across the full 5K. The 15 mph wind off the bay and 70% humidity made conditions genuinely challenging — which makes the margin even more striking.

Da Silva Almeida was comfortable in second, with Luci Bouwman of San Jose (29:33, 9:31/mi) running her own race for the final podium position. Bouwman had nearly a minute of daylight over 4th-place Roberta Peixoto, who crossed in 30:20. But the real drama of the race unfolded right there at 4th and 5th: Peixoto (Belmont, 30:20) and Raiana Morais (Oakland, 30:21) ran essentially the same race at 9:46/mi and were separated by a single second at the finish line. That's 3.1 miles of racing coming down to a one-second verdict.

Behind them, Maya Menumerova (6th, 30:42) and Tessa Rose Capilli (7th, 31:08) rounded out a competitive upper tier before the field spread into the 31- and 32-minute range. Wanlu Li and Madison Farnsworth both crossed in 32:29 — 9th and 10th respectively — with the timing splits deciding their order. All told, 110 women finished the F35-39 race on a breezy San Francisco morning, but the day belonged unambiguously to Haensel.