Her sneakers show the miles, but they held up long enough to carry Audrey MacLean to her first Dipsea victory on Sunday morning.
With bloody knees and aching feet, MacLean removed her shoes and socks at the aid station after crossing the finish line, but made sure not to lose track of them.
“They’re the same shoes I wore in my junior year in high school,” the Redwood High grad said, recalling the 2021 season when she placed 16th at the CIF State Cross Country Division II Championship.
On Sunday, Tiburon’s MacLean, 19, crossed the finish line at Stinson Beach to win the 114th Dipsea and made history in the process. She became the first female runner between the ages of 10 and 33 to win the Dipsea — famous for its handicapping system, which has produced a mix of younger and older winners.
In her first win, MacLean ran a personal-best time of 46 minutes, 28 seconds, just 20 seconds ahead of 2021 winner Mark Tatum of Colorado. Defending champion and three-time winner Chris Lundy of Mill Valley placed third in 48:09.
MacLean placed sixth in her previous Dipsea with a time of 49:30 in 2023. She skipped last year’s Dipsea to run in the World Juniors championships in Peru.
All photos by Steve Disenhof Photography.