Shamrock Marathon F75-79: Betty Brothers Owns the Age Group

• Sole finisher and champion: Betty Brothers, 78, crossed in 4:40:17 — a 10:41/mi average across 26.2 miles.
• Conditions were no gift: 71°F, 73% humidity, and a 17 mph wind made for a demanding day on the Virginia Beach course.
• Steady mid-race: Brothers posted the 327th-fastest split among women on the 20K-to-half stretch, holding her own in a large women's field.

There was one woman toeing the line in the F75-79 age group at the 2025 Shamrock Marathon, and Betty Brothers of Virginia Beach made sure she finished it. At 78 years old, she covered all 26.2 miles in 4:40:17 at a 10:41/mi pace — on a morning that tested everyone with heat, thick humidity, and a stiff 17 mph wind off the coast.

Brothers' journey through the women's field tells a nuanced story. She moved from 280th among women at the first checkpoint all the way back to 391st by the finish — a drift that reflects the toll of the conditions in the back half rather than any dramatic collapse. The 20K-to-half segment was a relative bright spot, where her 327th-fastest women's split showed she was still moving with purpose through the middle miles.

Winning an age group by default doesn't diminish what it takes to stand at that start line at 78 and see it through to the end on a day like this. Betty Brothers did exactly that.