Georgiana Gladstone Dominates the F75-79 Half Marathon in Virginia Beach

• Gladstone wins by 42:35, finishing in 2:47:12 (12:45/mi) — a commanding margin over the rest of the F75-79 field.
• Closest battle of the day: Holly Smith (3:29:47) and Suzanne Mcwilliams (3:30:13) finished just 26 seconds apart for 2nd and 3rd.
• Mcwilliams' late charge: Her strongest segment came on the final push from 20K to the finish, where she posted the 2,906th-fastest closing split among all women — her best segment of the race relative to the women's field.
• Tough conditions throughout: 71°F, 73% humidity, and a 17 mph wind made every minute of this 13.1-mile effort count.

Georgiana Gladstone, 76, from Westfield, NJ, turned this into a one-woman show from the start. She crossed in 2:47:12 — nearly 43 minutes ahead of 2nd place — running a steady 12:45 per mile through warm, windy, and humid conditions. Her movement through the women's field told the story: she climbed from 2,457th among women at the 5K mark all the way to 2,324th by 20K, gaining over 130 positions before a slight settle to 2,328th at the finish. Her best segment relative to the women's field came between 15K and 20K, where she posted the 2,241st-fastest split among all women — a strong mid-to-late surge when many were fading.

Behind Gladstone, the race for 2nd and 3rd was the subplot worth watching. Holly Smith (77, Liberty, MO) and Suzanne Mcwilliams (75, Richmond, VA) ran practically in lockstep through the back half, separated by just 26 seconds at the line — 3:29:47 to 3:30:13. Mcwilliams had been steadily climbing through the women's field all race, reaching 3,045th by the finish, and her 20K-to-finish split was her sharpest relative segment of the day.

Nancy Tillery (4th, 3:34:04) and Kathleen Haines (5th, 3:44:40) rounded out the middle of the F75-79 group, while Irene Russell, 78, from Vass, NC, brought it home in 3:58:55 — finishing every one of these 13.1 miles in a day that asked a lot of everyone who toed the line.