Shamrock Marathon — Women's 35–39: VanUffelen leads wire to wire

• Julie VanUffelen won the W35–39 group in 4:30:24 (10:19/mi), holding 2nd among all women from start to finish.
• Kyle Sheets finished 2nd in W35–39 in 5:15:27 (12:02/mi), a gap of 45:03 between the two.
• VanUffelen posted the fastest women's split on the final 25.2M→Finish stretch in the entire field — a strong close in 71°F heat and 17 mph wind.
• Sheets had her own standout moment early, logging the fastest women's split from 5K to 10K.

With only two finishers in the W35–39 group, this was less a race within the age group and more a tale of two very different days on the Virginia Beach course. The conditions were no joke — 71°F, 73% humidity, and a 17 mph wind made every mile a negotiation — and both women navigated them on their own terms.

VanUffelen was the steadier force throughout. She sat 2nd among all women at every checkpoint and never wavered from that position, a sign of a well-managed effort across 26.2 miles. What makes her run particularly impressive is how she finished it: her split from 25.2 miles to the line was the fastest among all women in the race. In tough conditions, she was accelerating — or at least holding form — while others faded.

Sheets, meanwhile, had genuine speed early. Her 5K-to-10K split was the fastest women's split in the field over that stretch, suggesting she came out with purpose. The back half of the race told a different story, and she crossed in 5:15:27 — but that early burst is worth noting. She also held 2nd among women in her gender standing throughout, running her own consistent line even as the gap to VanUffelen grew.

VanUffelen takes the W35–39 title by 45 minutes, but the more interesting number is that closing split — proof that on a warm, windy Virginia Beach morning, she saved her best for last.