Rocket City Half Marathon F65-69: Sue Hamke Dominates, Wright and McCandless Stage a Thriller

• Sue Hamke won the F65-69 age group in 2:01:59 (9:18/mi), finishing more than 36 minutes clear of the field.
• Linda Wright edged Kim McCandless for 2nd — both clocked 2:38:32 / 2:38:42 on the clock, but Wright crossed the line 10 seconds ahead.
• Wright surged on the final stretch (8M→Finish), moving up 20 places among women to finish 297th; McCandless faded slightly, slipping 2 places to 299th in the same closing segment.
• Terri Carter (age 69, the oldest in the group) posted a 2:52:42 for 4th, running the closing miles at a pace that saw her drop back in the women's field — but she still delivered a complete half marathon.

Sue Hamke made this one look straightforward from the front. The 66-year-old from Sammamish, Washington ran a 9:18/mi average to finish in 2:01:59 — a time that also placed her 72nd among all women in the race. Her 68th-fastest women's split on the 8M-to-Finish stretch confirmed she didn't coast to the line; she was still moving with genuine purpose deep into the back half.

Behind her, the race for 2nd was the day's sharpest subplot. Linda Wright of Niceville, Florida and Kim McCandless of Madison, Alabama — both showing 12:06/mi averages — were inseparable on paper, but the timing told the real story: Wright got there first, 10 seconds ahead, to claim 2nd. What made it more interesting was how they got there: Wright closed strongly, gaining 20 positions among women from mile 8 to the finish, while McCandless gave back a couple of spots in that same stretch. Two athletes, nearly identical finishing times, opposite trajectories at the end.

Terri Carter rounded out the top four in 2:52:42 at age 69 — the eldest of the eight finishers — covering 13:10/mi pace for the full distance. Jane Stemkoski and Jane Hamilton finished 5th and 6th in a near-mirror of the Wright-McCandless situation, both showing 17:08/mi with just a four-second gap between them. Rose Hall completed the eight-woman group in 3:55:14. Eight women lined up and raced a half marathon on a cool December morning in Huntsville — that's the whole story.