Results/Photos

Date: Feb. 14, 2026 Participant: Zulema Ochoa #16585 Race: 2026 Mesa Half Marathon Distance: 13.1 miles

Consistent Improvement Throughout the Race Zulema Ochoa, 29, representing Glendale, AZ in the 2026 Mesa Marathon Half Marathon, demonstrated a notable progression in her performance over the 13.1 miles. She began with an 11:13 min/mile pace and effectively adjusted her speed, improving to a 9:59 min/mile pace by the final mile. This resulted in an impressive negative split, reducing her pace consistently from mile 4 onwards. Throughout the race, Zulema maintained a solid position, starting strong at 81st in her division and concluding the event at 206th. Her overall time was 2:21:11, with an average pace of 10:46 min/mile, placing her 1220th among females out of 4125 total participants. Her ability to finish with more consistent speed in the later stages highlights her endurance. For future races, focusing on even pacing could help to maintain this upward momentum from the beginning.