Rocket City 10K: Brunick Runs Away from the M45-49 Field

• Daniel Brunick won the M45-49 group in 44:11 (7:07/mi), finishing 44 seconds clear of runner-up John Lemieux.
• John Lemieux (44:55) and Scott Sandlin (46:20) rounded out the podium, with Sandlin a further 1:25 back in 3rd.
• A 3:34 gap separates the top 3 from 4th-place Michael Holder (50:45), marking a clear break between the podium tier and the rest of the field.
• 21 finishers completed the M45-49 race across a span of just over 31 minutes from first to last listed.

Daniel Brunick of Meridianville, AL set the tone early and never let up, crossing in 44:11 at a 7:07-per-mile clip — the kind of pace that leaves little room for challengers on a 10K course. John Lemieux made a race of it, running 44:55 to finish 44 seconds back, but Brunick's margin was comfortable enough that the outcome was never seriously in doubt.

Scott Sandlin, racing on home turf in Huntsville, secured the final podium spot in 46:20 (7:27/mi). The top three were the clear class of the M45-49 group on a mild December morning — 59°F and overcast, nearly ideal conditions for fast running — before a significant drop-off to 4th place. Michael Holder (50:45) and Casey Carter (51:27) led the next cluster, separated by just 42 seconds as they battled through the mid-pack.

From there, the field spread out steadily. Jon Teisher made the trip from Old Colorado City, CO to post a 52:35 in 6th, while Robert Schnabel and Jason Deem ran nearly identical races — 53:47 and 54:06 — to finish 7th and 8th just 19 seconds apart. Josh Cauthon (55:28) and Joshua Krevy (56:07) kept things competitive in the 9th-through-11th range, all within about a minute of each other. All 21 men who started finished, making it a complete day for the M45-49 group in Huntsville.