Masters Women: Cathleen Willy Dominates in 1:26:58

• Willy wins by 8:16, crossing in 1:26:58 (6:38/mi) — the largest margin on the Masters Women podium and a stunning 9:12 improvement over her 1:36:10 finish here in 2023.
• Christine Persel takes 2nd in 1:35:14 (7:16/mi), with Jolene Zamudio claiming 3rd in 1:38:49 (7:32/mi) — a 3:35 gap separating them.
• Luisa Coronel, age 58, opened as high as 3rd among women before fading to 5th in 1:41:05 — still a remarkable effort from the oldest top-10 finisher.
• Sheri Eggebraaten and Erin Pullen both clocked 1:44:12 at 10th and 11th — same displayed time, different places, decided by a sliver at the line.

Cathleen Willy of Clovis put on a masterclass in front-running. She held 2nd among all women from the opening mile through the finish, and her 5th-fastest women's split on the 1M→10K segment signaled early that this was a different race than her 2023 outing. That 9:12 improvement over her own time on this course is the defining number of the Masters Women's story — she didn't just win, she transformed her result.

Behind her, Christine Persel (Bakersfield) ran a composed 7:16/mi pace to lock up 2nd, posting the 8th-fastest women's split on the 1M→10K segment. Jolene Zamudio made her move on the back half — her 15th-fastest women's split on the 10K→Finish stretch helped her close from 12th among women at the 10K mark to finish 3rd overall in the Masters Women field at 1:38:49. Kristin Sweeney of Fresno was similarly aggressive late, climbing from 22nd among women at the mile to 15th at the finish in 1:40:24.

The most striking arc in the top five belongs to Luisa Coronel of Tulare. At 58 years old, she surged out to 3rd among all women through the early miles before fading to 5th in the Masters Women field at 1:41:05 — a finish that still placed her ahead of 282 other Masters Women. Nidia Ramirez (1:41:41) and Alejandra Baglietto (1:42:08) rounded out a tightly packed 6th and 7th, separated by just 27 seconds across the final stretch of a 287-finisher field.