F15-19: Anica Aninon Runs Down the Women's Field

• Anica Aninon won the F15-19 age group in 3:20:31 (7:39/mi), climbing from 31st among women at the first checkpoint all the way to 10th among women at the finish.
• Peyton Wilson took 2nd in 3:51:40 (8:50/mi), posting the 15th-fastest women's split on the 19.8M→23M segment as she steadily worked her way from 80th to 36th among women.
• Alina Aquino earned 3rd in 5:15:48 (12:03/mi), turning in the fastest women's split on the 18M→19.8M segment — a genuine bright spot in an otherwise difficult day.
• A 31-minute gap separates 1st from 2nd, and a 1:24:08 gap separates 2nd from 3rd — three very different races run under the same warm Fresno sun.

The F15-19 age group delivered three distinct stories on a 74°F November day in Fresno. Aninon, 19, was the class of the field from the start — but she didn't just hold position, she hunted. Moving from 31st among women early to 10th by the finish, she spent the entire race reeling in competitors one by one. Her 7:39/mi average is a genuinely strong effort in the heat, and she sealed it with the 7th-fastest women's split on the final 23M→25.2M stretch — finishing strong when many around her were fading.

Wilson, 16, ran a composed and progressive race of her own. She entered the women's field ranked 80th and chipped away at that number at every single checkpoint, crossing the line 36th among women. Her best segment came between miles 19.8 and 23, where she posted the 15th-fastest women's split in the field — a sign she found another gear in the back half when the marathon typically takes its toll.

Aquino, 17, had a tougher afternoon, but her 18M→19.8M split stands out: it was the fastest among all women on that segment. That's not a footnote — in a field far larger than three, she owned that stretch. The overall time reflects a hard day, but that moment was real.