Rocket City Half Marathon: Pam Willmore Wins the F70-74 Group

• Pam Willmore took the F70-74 title in 2:47:58 (12:49/mi), finishing nearly 25 minutes clear of second place.
• Elizabeth Moore (age 73, Panama City) claimed second in 3:12:52, holding off Teresa Chandler by just under 8 minutes.
• Teresa Chandler (age 74, Birmingham) ran third in 3:20:49 — the oldest on the podium.
• All four finishers gained ground on the women's field in the back half, each moving up at least one place from the 10K to the finish.

Four women lined up for the F70-74 group at Rocket City on a mild December morning — 59°F with a light 9 mph breeze — and Pam Willmore of Huntsville made it look authoritative. The 71-year-old ran a steady 12:49/mi to finish in 2:47:58, a margin of nearly 25 minutes over the rest of the field. That kind of gap doesn't happen by accident; it reflects consistent execution across all 13.1 miles.

Behind Willmore, Elizabeth Moore of Panama City and Teresa Chandler of Birmingham ran their own quiet battle. Moore crossed in 3:12:52 (14:43/mi), with Chandler — at 74 the oldest finisher on the podium — following in 3:20:49 (15:19/mi). The roughly eight-minute gap between them held firm through the second half, where both women actually picked off a handful of competitors in the broader women's field, each improving their standing between the 10K mark and the finish line.

Lynn Corson of Cincinnati rounded out the group in 3:43:10 (17:01/mi), also finishing stronger relative to the women's field than she stood at the 10K checkpoint. All four athletes in the F70-74 group did the same — a small but telling detail that speaks to pacing discipline in the back half of a December road race.