Masters Women: Tia Stone Owns Memphis in the Cold

• Tia Stone wins in 1:31:43 (6:60/mi), steadily climbing from 21st to 16th among all women on her way to the Masters Women title.
• Lilia Drew's early speed, late fade: Drew posted the 17th-fastest women's split from 5K to 10K but slipped from 17th to 24th among women over the back half, finishing 2nd in 1:33:46 — 2:03 behind Stone.
• Closest battle of the day: Susan Gilchrist (8th, 1:40:03) and Beth Wilson (9th, 1:40:06) — three seconds apart after 13.1 miles.
• 1,443 Masters Women crossed the finish line at AutoZone Park on a sharp 33°F morning off Beale Street.

Tia Stone of Searcy, AR, left no doubt in the Masters Women race, crossing in 1:31:43 at a 6:60/mi clip to claim the title by more than two minutes. What made her run particularly impressive was its trajectory: she tracked steadily upward through the women's field — moving from 21st at the opening checkpoint to 19th, then 17th, then 16th by the finish — and punctuated it with the 11th-fastest women's split on the 11-mile-to-finish stretch. Stone didn't just hold her pace; she got stronger when it counted.

Lilia Drew (Jupiter, FL) gave the early impression of a title challenger, running the 17th-fastest women's split from 5K to 10K and sitting 17th among all women at the halfway mark. But the back half told a different story — she faded to 24th in the women's field by the finish, though still claimed a solid 2nd place in 1:33:46. Lindsey Norris (Madison, MS) was the model of consistency, running 7:22/mi to take 3rd in 1:36:28, while Stephanie Moore of Memphis moved steadily from 53rd to 41st among women and finished 4th in 1:37:51, backed by the 41st-fastest women's closing split. Deborah Farringer (Nashville, TN) rounded out the top five in 1:38:25, having made her biggest move from 50th to 42nd between 10K and 11 miles.

The middle of the Masters Women field was fiercely packed. Leslie Malone (6th, 1:38:31) and Jackie Bergey (7th, 1:39:32) were separated by under a minute, and the battle for 8th and 9th was even tighter — Susan Gilchrist of Memphis finished in 1:40:03 with Beth Wilson just three seconds back in 1:40:06. Bev Thompson (10th, 1:40:53) and Kari Vonstrohe (11th, 1:40:55) were likewise inseparable, two seconds apart after 13.1 miles of racing. In a field of 1,443, the depth was real — and the competition through the top twenty was relentless on a cold Memphis morning.