Serena Burla of Falls Church was the top female finisher in last week’s USA Half Marathon Championships.

The 31-year-old marathon runner finished the half marathon with a time of 1:10:48.

Burla earned $12,000 for her first-place finish, and an additional $1,500 for finishing the race in under 1:11.

Burla took an early lead in the race and held onto it, widening the gap between first and second to nearly a minute and a half by the end of the race.

The championships, hosted by Aramco Houston Half Marathon, took place in Houston last Sunday, Jan. 19.