Shamrock Marathon F35-39: Staci Huelat Runs Down the Field

• Huelat wins in 2:55:00 (6:40/mi), climbing from 5th among women at the 10K to 1st by the halfway point — and holding it to the finish.
• Closest battle on the day: Kathryn Bowser (3:19:44) and Patricia Kreuzberger (3:19:45) finished 3rd and 4th in F35-39 — one second apart after 26.2 miles in 71°F heat and 17 mph wind.
• Beth Marzigliano posted the 6th-fastest women's split on the 10K→15K segment on her way to 2nd in 3:12:12, but faded from 6th among women at the halfway point to 17th by the finish — a tough second half.
• Ashley Kliebert ran the opposite race, moving steadily from 60th among women at the 5K all the way to 43rd at the finish, with the 25th-fastest women's split on the 30K→35K stretch.

Staci Huelat of Wellington, FL was the story of F35-39 on a demanding Virginia Beach morning. Running 6:40 per mile across 26.2 miles in 71-degree heat with a stiff 17 mph wind, she was patient early — sitting 5th among women through the 10K — before surging to 4th by 15K and 2nd by the half. She posted the fastest women's split on the 20K-to-half segment, and from that point the race was hers. She crossed in 2:55:00, a commanding win in the age group.

Behind her, Beth Marzigliano ran a strong first half, cracking the top 10 among women and logging the 6th-fastest women's split on the 10K→15K leg. But the back half of the race told a different story — she slipped from 6th to 17th among women over the final miles, finishing 2nd in F35-39 in 3:12:12. It's a reminder of just how punishing the conditions were late in the race.

The fight for 3rd and 4th was the afternoon's most dramatic subplot. Kathryn Bowser of Avondale, PA and Patricia Kreuzberger of Alexandria, VA ran 26.2 miles and arrived at the finish line one second apart — 3:19:44 to 3:19:45. Bowser had the faster early legs (9th-fastest women's split on the 5K→10K segment), while Kreuzberger's strongest moment came late, posting the 28th-fastest women's split on the 25.2M-to-finish stretch. In the end, Bowser held on by the narrowest of margins.