Masters Women: Cockrell Commands SF's Urban Ultra

• Kelly Cockrell won the Masters Women race in 8:10:44 (9:22/mi), posting the fastest women's split on the 1st Marathon TOD→Finish segment.
• Elma Tesio completed the 52.4-mile course in 13:20:01 (15:16/mi), finishing 2nd in the Masters Women field.
• The two finishers were separated by 5:09:17 — a vast gap that tells the story of two very different races across the double-marathon distance.

Only two women toed the Masters Women line at the 2026 San Francisco Ultramarathon, but Kelly Cockrell made the most of the cool, breezy morning to put on a commanding performance. Running 9:22 per mile across 52.4 miles — a course that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge, winds through Golden Gate Park, and traces the Embarcadero twice — Cockrell held the top women's gender position from start to finish, never relinquishing the lead. Her 1st Marathon TOD→Finish split was the fastest among all women in the race, a mark that underscores just how controlled and strong her effort was through that critical second half of the first loop.

Elma Tesio, 45, of Molalla, OR, took on one of the more demanding challenges in American running — a 52.4-mile urban ultra with real hills and real wind — and crossed the finish line in 13:20:01. Her 15:16/mi average reflects a race fought on its own terms, and her 7th-fastest women's split on the 1st Marathon TOD→Finish segment shows she was moving through the field on that stretch. She finished 2nd in the Masters Women field.

With just two finishers, the Masters Women story at this year's SF Ultra is ultimately Cockrell's — a wire-to-wire win, the fastest women's split on a key segment, and a sub-8:11 finish across 52.4 miles of San Francisco. In a race that humbles most who attempt it, that's a performance worth noting.