Rocket City Marathon 10K — F65-69: Diaz edges a tight three-way battle at the front

• Florence Diaz (Lynn Haven, FL) won the F65-69 group in 8:11:58 — just 2:34 ahead of 2nd place and 3:28 ahead of 3rd.
• The top three finishers — Diaz, Cindy Moeller, and Susan Moore — were separated by fewer than four minutes across a 10K.
• Paula Pendergast and Wendy Sibley rounded out the field, finishing within 2:51 of each other at the back of the group.
• All six women completed the course on a mild but humid December morning in Huntsville — 60°F and 85% humidity.

Florence Diaz made the trip from Lynn Haven, Florida pay off, claiming the F65-69 win at a pace of 79:10 per mile. But she had to earn it. Cindy Moeller of Madison, Alabama — racing practically in her own backyard — pushed her all the way to the line, finishing just 2:34 back at 8:14:32. Susan Moore of Winchester, Tennessee was barely a breath behind Moeller, crossing in 8:15:26 — only 54 seconds further adrift. Three women, three different states, separated by less than four minutes. That's a race within a race.

Kate Watkins, also from Huntsville, ran a solid fourth at 8:19:46 — close enough to the podium to feel it, but unable to bridge the gap to Moore. The final two spots belonged to Paula Pendergast, who traveled from Rochester, Minnesota, finishing in 8:37:00, and Wendy Sibley of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, who closed out the group in 8:39:51. With competitors converging on Huntsville from Florida to Minnesota, the F65-69 group had genuine geographic range to match its competitive spirit.