Shamrock 8K: Santos Owns the W35-39 Field

• Sole finisher and champion: Cj Santos, 36, of Middle River, MD, claimed 1st in W35-39 with a time of 1:37:37.
• Steady in the field: Santos held 6th among women from start to finish, never wavering from that position across all checkpoints.
• Mid-race highlight: Santos posted the 6th-fastest women's split on the 2M→4M stretch — a bright spot in the middle miles.

With just one finisher in the W35-39 age group, Cj Santos had the title locked up from the gun — but that doesn't diminish what she put together on a mild Virginia Beach morning. Sixty-two degrees, a light breeze off the coast, and a 19:38/mi average over 8K tells the story of a steady effort from a runner who showed up and got it done.

What's worth noting is how Santos carried herself against the broader women's field. Sitting 6th among women at every checkpoint, she was no afterthought in the larger race — and her 6th-fastest women's split on the 2M-to-4M segment shows she had some real pop in the middle of the course, right when others were beginning to feel the miles.

Santos crossed the line in 1:37:37, the only W35-39 finisher on the day, but with a performance that held its own well beyond the age group.