Claire Nelson made her marathon debut at the California International Marathon one to remember.

The 22-year-old from Eagle River clocked a scorching 2 hours, 43 minutes and 51 seconds in Sacramento to finish third in her age group and 101st among women. Nelson also became the fifth-fastest marathoner in Alaska history, averaging a brisk pace of 6:15 per mile.

Nelson, a recent graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, ran commendable splits of 1:20:19 and 1:23:32, slowing only in the latter kilometers of the race.

After earning her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in the spring, Nelson strung together months of training, following her 17th place showing at Mt. Marathon to earn her second straight top-20 finish.

A former two-time state champion in the 4×800 relay for Eagle River, Nelson continued her running career in Nevada.

Her collegiate career was highlighted by becoming the fourth-fastest cross country runner in program history in the 6K (20:30). She also was crowned champion at the Division 1 Cross Country Mountain Regional Preview in 2023. Nelson became No. 5 in Alaska history in the 10,000 (35:20) and sits No. 10 in the 5,000 (16:47).

Now a brand ambassador for Osmo Nutrition, Nelson plans to pursue medical school, following her remarkable marathon debut.

Nelson currently ranks No. 5 all-time in Alaska history in the marathon, trailing only Anchorage’s Chris Clark — the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials winner who placed 19th at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 — Sarah Bishop, Suzanne Ray and Fairbanks’ Keri McEntee, while running just one tick faster than Soldotna’s Megan Youngren whose personal best was achieved at the same race six years ago.

Alaska Women’s All-Time Marathon

1. Chris Clark, 2:31:35 (9/00)
2. Sarah Bishop, 2:39:59 (2/20)
3. Suzanne Ray, 2:40:54 (10/91)
4. Keri McEntee, 2:41:19 (6/19)
5. Claire Nelson, 2:43:51 (12/25)
6. Megan Youngren, 2:43:52 (12/19)
7. Anna Dalton, 2:44:18 (12/18)
8. Gerri Litzenberger, 2:45:19 (10/88)
9. Melanie Griffith, 2:47:52 (12/25)
10. Taylor Deal, 2:48:52 (10/25)

Source: Alaska Sports Report

Of the top-10 Alaska marathoners, Clark, Ray, McEntee, Youngren and Dalton have all competed at the Olympic trials in the marathon. Nelson’s time would have qualified for the Olympic trials held in 2020; however, USATF has since lowered the women’s B standard to 2:37:00 for 2028.

Also in the race was former UAA standout Nell Baker, who clocked 2:47:27 in her debut. Baker currently works as a Nike representative and is based in Seattle.

Soldotna’s Melanie Griffith finished just 25 seconds behind Baker to become the ninth-fastest woman in Alaska history. The 31-year-old physical therapist and running coach clocked 2:47:52 to finish 129th, lopping 3.5 minutes from her previous best.

Fairbanks’ Elizabeth Weir was the fourth Alaskan woman in the race to dip under the 3-hour barrier, running 2:57:19.

On the men’s side, Chris Osiensky’s journey to CIM redemption was a process four years in the making.

The 31-year-old Anchorage resident clocked a personal best of 2:25:02 to finish 134th, averaging a swift pace of 5:33 per mile. Osiensky, a United Physical Therapy athlete, ran even halves in 1:12:12 and 1:12:50.

After recording a then-personal best of 2:26:57 at the same race back in 2021 — following four years of injuries and illness — Osiensky was eager to keep the momentum going.

But it would take another four years for the Palmer High grad to return to the same level.

In 2022, he returned to CIM, splitting 1:13:57 for the first half, before slowing significantly in the latter half, clocking a disappointing 2:48:54. He described that race as, “(The) slowest, and by far the hardest, marathon I’ve ever run.”

While a back injury deterred his marathon comeback in 2023, he returned to the race in 2024, only to experience yet another impromptu setback.

On race day, his bus to the starting line was delayed and then proceeded to take a wrong turn, resulting in Osiensky missing the race start and ultimately deciding not to run — a gut-wrenching decision after 24 weeks of arduous preparation, stating, “It wasn’t worth running if I was going to be running solo.”

One year later, Osiensky — who splits his time working at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and as a coach at Peak Center Alaska, LLC — finally got his redemption.

“Four years and 10,000+ miles to shave off 90 seconds,” shared Osiensky on Instagram. “Turns out that progress isn’t linear. For years, I’ve had the fitness to run faster, but I was missing the mental preparation and positive mindset required. I had trained my heart, lungs, and legs, but neglected my head.”

“Over the past year, I’ve put a lot of time into practicing positive self-talk, responding to adversity rather than reacting to it, and have developed the ability to broaden and narrow my focus based on the demands of the moment. All of this has led to a much healthier relationship with racing, far less performance anxiety, and so much more enjoyment through training and racing!”

Osiensky is also tied for No. 10 all-time in the half-marathon (1:09:58), among known Alaska performers.

His race at CIM was highlighted by running alongside Sara Hall — the third-fastest marathoner in U.S. history — for part of the race, while husband and former U.S. half-marathon record holder Ryan Hall biked and coached nearby. Hall, 42, would go on to finish runner-up in 2:24:36.

A total of 8,181 runners finished the California International Marathon, which doubled as the USATF Marathon Championships.

The race was won by Arizona’s Futsum Zienasellassie in 2:09:29, while North Carolina’s Molly Born was the top woman, running a course record 2:24:09.

Here’s the place by gender for those who listed Alaska as their home state:

California International Marathon (CIM)

Alaska Finishers

WOMEN

101) Claire Nelson, Eagle River, 2:43:51

123) Nell Baker, Anchorage, 2:47:27

129) Melanie Griffith, Soldotna, 2:47:52

209) Elizabeth Weir, Fairbanks, 2:57:19

400) Whitney Bennett Bouchard, Anchorage, 3:10:43

1,118) Christina Thom, Anchorage, 3:41:31

1,508) Gretchen Dana, Anchorage, 3:56:28

MEN

134) Chris Osiensky, Anchorage, 2:25:02

850) Collin Atkinson, Anchorage, 2:54:58

1,306) Jacob Metzger, Sitka, 3:04:20

1,394) John Hellen, Anchorage, 3:06:13

1,526) Christopher Edwards, Anchorage, 3:09:04

2,278) Mark Snyder, Anchorage, 3:27:00

3,745) Dean Denter, Eagle River, 4:10:28