Rocket City 10K: Sandlin takes the F0-14 title in the cold

• Erica Sandlin won the F0-14 age group in 51:30 (8:17/mi), the fastest of the two finishers.
• Khloe Mack finished 2nd in 52:29 (8:27/mi), just 59 seconds back.
• Both athletes are 14 years old — and both ran through a biting 29°F morning with 16 mph winds in Huntsville.

Two 14-year-olds from Alabama showed up to the Rocket City 10K on one of the coldest mornings a December race could offer — 29°F, clear skies, and a 16 mph wind that made every exposed stretch feel even sharper. Erica Sandlin of Huntsville and Khloe Mack of Union Grove were the entire F0-14 field, and they made it a genuine race.

Sandlin crossed the line in 51:30 at an 8:17/mi clip to claim the age group win. Mack was right behind her, finishing in 52:29 at 8:27/mi — a 59-second gap that tells a story of two athletes who ran in the same neighborhood the whole way. The margin is real, but so is the closeness: Mack was never far off Sandlin's shoulder.

Credit to both for stepping onto the start line in those conditions. Running a sub-53-minute 10K at age 14, in sub-freezing temperatures and a stiff wind, is no small thing. Sandlin takes the title, Mack takes 2nd, and together they owned every finisher spot in the F0-14 age group.