Rocket City Half Marathon — F25-29: Joffrion Dominates the Final Miles

• Rachel Joffrion won the F25-29 age group in 1:39:19 (7:35/mi), finishing 2nd among all women in the race.
• Joffrion posted the fastest women's split on the 8M→Finish stretch, pulling clear of the field in the back half.
• Hannah Nails and Kaylie Catlin completed the podium in 1:42:08 and 1:43:38 — separated by just 90 seconds, with Nails logging the 3rd-fastest women's split on that same closing segment.
• A tight cluster at the back of the top 20: Megan Johnson, Caitlin Cartwright, and Courtney Cartwright finished 14th–16th in 2:04:43–2:04:52 — nine seconds covering three runners.

Rachel Joffrion made her move where it mattered most. The 28-year-old Huntsville native held 2nd among all women from the opening miles through the finish line, never wavering — and when the race hit the 8-mile mark, she shifted into another gear entirely, producing the fastest closing split of any woman in the field. Her 1:39:19 at 7:35 per mile wasn't just a comfortable age-group win; it placed her among the very best women on the course all day.

Behind her, Hannah Nails and Kaylie Catlin ran a clean, competitive race for the remaining podium spots. Nails, the youngest of the three at 25, backed up her 1:42:08 finish with the 3rd-fastest closing split among women — a sign she was still pressing hard late. Catlin held on for 3rd in 1:43:38, though her 12th-fastest closing split among women suggests the final miles cost her a little more. The gap from 1st to 3rd was under four and a half minutes across 13.1 miles — a genuine podium battle in mild but breezy December conditions.

The middle of the F25-29 field offered its own drama. Olivia McGriff moved up four spots among all women between the 8-mile mark and the finish — from 29th to 25th — with the 22nd-fastest closing split among women, edging ahead of Amy Stark in the process. And the finish-line cluster around 2:04 was something to behold: Megan Johnson, Caitlin Cartwright, and Courtney Cartwright — the latter two sharing a last name and apparently a finishing time — crossed within nine seconds of each other for 14th through 16th. In a field of 78, those margins feel razor-thin.