Masters Women: Ramona Sanchez Dominates in 2:51:43

• Sanchez wins by 34:27 — her 2:51:43 at 6:33/mi pace is one of the fastest times on the flat, Boston-qualifying Two Cities course, and betters her own 2:53:26 runner-up finish here in 2023.
• Lyanne Jerritts, 54, storms home — the oldest podium finisher ran the 15th-fastest women's split on the 23M–25.2M stretch, climbing from 19th to 3rd among women to claim the final Masters Women podium spot in 3:29:20.
• Rosalie Smith closes fastest — Smith posted the 16th-fastest women's split from 25.2M to the finish, moving from 27th to 23rd among women en route to 5th in Masters Women at 3:43:33.
• A 56-woman Masters field spread from 2:51:43 to well past 4:22 — a testament to the depth and range in this group.

Ramona Sanchez came to Fresno with unfinished business. The 47-year-old from Sparks, NV had stood on the Two Cities podium in 2023 as runner-up among women in 2:53:26 — and this year she didn't just return, she elevated. Crossing in 2:51:43 at a 6:33/mi clip, Sanchez won the Masters Women race outright and spent virtually the entire course sitting in 2nd among all women, briefly touching 3rd before reclaiming that spot and holding it to the line. She also posted the 2nd-fastest women's split on the opening 1M–10K stretch, going out controlled but sharp. The margin over 2nd place Shannon Parkinson was a commanding 34 minutes and 27 seconds — this was a wire-to-wire statement.

Shannon Parkinson of Kingsburg, CA took 2nd in Masters Women with a 3:26:10 (7:52/mi), posting the 9th-fastest women's split on that same early 1M–10K segment. Parkinson moved steadily backward among women through the race — from 7th at the first checkpoint to 14th by the finish — but her early strength was enough to hold off the rest of the Masters field.

The most compelling late-race story belonged to Lyanne Jerritts, the 54-year-old from Ahwahnee who ran 3:29:20 to finish 3rd. Jerritts was 19th among women at the halfway mark and still 17th with just a few miles left — but she ran the 15th-fastest women's split from 23M to 25.2M, reeling in competitors and securing the podium. Nicole Browne (3:38:52, 4th) and Rosalie Smith (3:43:33, 5th) also closed strongly, with Smith posting the 16th-fastest women's split over the final stretch to move from 27th to 23rd in the women's field.