Shamrock 8K: Katharyn Dembowski Claims F30-34

• Solo winner: Dembowski was the only finisher in the F30-34 age group, crossing in 55:57 at an 11:15/mi average.
• Strong middle miles: She posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the 2M→4M segment — a standout stretch in a field far larger than her age group.
• Consistent women's standing: She held 2nd among women from the opening checkpoint all the way to the finish line.

Katharyn Dembowski of King George, VA had the F30-34 age group entirely to herself at the 2025 Shamrock 8K, but she was far from racing in a vacuum. Running through Virginia Beach's mild mid-March conditions — 62°F with a light 9 mph breeze — she covered the 8K in 55:57, averaging 11:15 per mile from start to finish.

The most telling number in her race came in the 2M-to-4M stretch, where she turned in the 2nd-fastest split among all women on that segment. That's not a consolation stat — it's a genuine marker of strength at the heart of the course, where the race tends to sort itself out.

Her position among the women's field was equally steady: 2nd from the first checkpoint through to the tape, never yielding ground and never gaining it — a controlled, disciplined effort that matched her pace to her ambition. Dembowski takes the F30-34 title as the age group's sole representative, but the split data makes clear she more than earned her place in the broader women's race story.