Rocket City 10K — F50-54: Croushorn Runs Away With It

• Julie Croushorn won the F50-54 age group in 43:42 (7:02/mi) — nearly 15 minutes clear of 2nd place.
• Treva Garcia, Lili Kaiser, and Raquel Osmer were separated by just 58 seconds across 2nd through 4th.
• Spring Prince and Laurel Smith (7th and 8th) finished just 6 seconds apart at 1:08:34 and 1:08:40.
• Shannon Wagner and Jennifer McNeese (11th and 12th) were split by only 4 seconds — 1:13:25 to 1:13:29.

Julie Croushorn of Birmingham simply ran in a different race. Her 43:42 at 7:02 per mile wasn't just a win — it was a statement. The gap back to Treva Garcia in 2nd was 14 minutes and 58 seconds, a margin so large it almost defies the shared course. In a 24-woman F50-54 field on a mild December morning in Huntsville, Croushorn was untouchable.

Behind her, the race for the podium was anything but settled. Garcia (Madison, AL) crossed in 58:40, with Lili Kaiser of Tullahoma, TN just 41 seconds back at 59:21, and Raquel Osmer of Cullman, AL another 17 seconds behind that at 59:38. Three women, under a minute of racing separating them — that's the real contest that played out on the roads Saturday.

Further down the field, the battles were equally compelling. Spring Prince and Laurel Smith — both from Tullahoma, TN — finished 7th and 8th within 6 seconds of each other at 1:08:34 and 1:08:40. Then Shannon Wagner and Jennifer McNeese, both from Arab, AL, came in 11th and 12th separated by just 4 seconds. Hometown rivalries, club training partners, or pure coincidence — whatever the story, the racing was tight.