M35-39: Segrest Takes the Title in Huntsville's Holiday 10K

• Rob Segrest won the M35-39 group in 7:40:31 (74:07/mi avg), finishing more than four minutes clear of the field.
• Edward Ruzek and Theophilus Goins were separated by just 13 seconds at 2nd and 3rd — the tightest battle of the day in this group.
• Adam O'Shields (6th, 7:52:06) edged Evan Edmondson (5th, 7:52:12) by six seconds in the results — yet Edmondson holds 5th place, meaning the timing confirmed O'Shields crossed the line just ahead despite Edmondson's slightly faster average.
• Fourteen men from across northern Alabama (and one from Waldorf, MD) toed the line on a mild, humid December morning.

Rob Segrest, 37, out of Brownsboro, made this one look controlled from the outset. His 74:07/mi average held firm across the 10K distance, and his winning margin of 4:13 over runner-up Edward Ruzek tells its own story — this wasn't a photo finish at the front, it was a statement.

Ruzek and Goins made for a compelling battle for the silver spot. The 35-year-old from Waldorf, Maryland — who also raced the 5K earlier in the weekend, finishing 10th among men in that event — came to Huntsville and put together a strong double-race weekend, edging Theophilus Goins of Madison by just 13 seconds. Goins, also 37, will have plenty to think about over those final meters.

The mid-pack drama was just as sharp. O'Shields (7:52:06) and Edmondson (7:52:12) finished within six seconds of each other, with the timing system awarding O'Shields 6th and Edmondson 5th — meaning Edmondson technically holds the higher place despite the clock showing him six seconds back. Will Nevin rounded out the top four at 7:50:39.

Back in the field, A.J. Stark (39, Arab, AL) was the oldest finisher in the top eight, clocking 7:56:20 for 8th. Matthew Porter brought it home last among the 14 finishers at 8:17:52 — still under an 80:07/mi average on a warm, 85%-humidity December morning in Huntsville. Every man in this group crossed the line.