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…