Rocket City 10K — F65-69: Elliott Dominates in the Cold

• Kathy Elliott, 69, wins in 1:06:48 (10:45/mi) — more than 11 minutes clear of the field.
• Tightest battle of the day: Cindy Moeller (3rd, 1:23:17) and Vicki Sue Merry (4th, 1:26:27) separated by just 3:10, with Lee Collins (5th, 1:29:30) another 3 minutes back.
• Back of the pack: Barbara Leiser (7th, 1:44:23) and Rose Hall (8th, 1:45:16) finished within 53 seconds of each other on a frigid Huntsville morning.

Eight women lined up in the F65-69 age group on a biting 29°F morning in Huntsville, with a 16 mph wind making every mile feel harder than the last. Kathy Elliott, 69 years old and racing in her home state of Alabama, made it look almost effortless. Her 1:06:48 — a 10:45/mi clip — put her more than 11 minutes ahead of second-place Linda Meeks (1:18:23, 12:37/mi), a gap that speaks for itself on a day when the cold had teeth.

Meeks, representing Memphis, held second comfortably, finishing 4:54 ahead of Cindy Moeller of Madison (1:23:17, 13:24/mi). Behind Moeller, the race got genuinely interesting: Vicki Sue Merry (1:26:27, 13:55/mi) and Lee Collins (1:29:30, 14:24/mi) ran a quiet battle for 4th and 5th, separated by just over three minutes at the line.

The final stretch of the leaderboard told its own story. Jamie Sizemore of West Harrison, Indiana crossed in 1:41:13 (16:17/mi) for 6th, while Barbara Leiser and Rose Hall — traveling from Vermont and Mississippi respectively — made the trip to Huntsville count, finishing 7th and 8th in 1:44:23 and 1:45:16. All eight women finished, which on a 29-degree morning with sustained wind is worth noting on its own.